Get the Job Done
by GuiltyBystanders
Summary: Yet another story about Up and Taz meeting and their adventures until Starship. Will contain TUp (Oooo, juicy). I am horrible at summaries, so please don't judge. I'm also horrible at titles, so if anyone has a better one, tell me and I might just use it. Sooooo, see any good movies lately? Uh, really great weather we're having, isn't it...
1. Quinceañera

**Note: Until Up shows up, and the robots, all the dialog is in Spanish. Just picture it. I take French at school, so I don't want to have to look up how to say stuff as much as possible.**

**I own nothing but love it all.**

* * *

Tazia stood and stared into the mirror in pure horror. She was dressed in a blood red, spaghetti-strapped dress, her eyelids covered in smokey makeup, her black hair shining and curled, her lips a dark crimson. It was her Quinceañera, her fifteenth birthday and passage into being a woman. Her mother clasped her hands together, exclaiming about her beauty. Taz supposed she was lucky. If her mother had had it her way, Taz would have been standing in a gigantic, puffy, pink, frilly dress. Her mother and her had gotten into an argument nearly as large and ugly as that dress, which Taz had finally won with "If I'm going to become a woman, I want to look like a woman, not a little girl." Her mother had relented and they had bought the only non-puffy, pink dress that would fit Taz's tiny frame. Now, her mother had forgotten all about that other, awful dress as she stared at Taz, finally in a dress. Taz couldn't remember the last time she had worn a dress, and couldn't wait to be at the point she could't remember being in a dress again, never knowing that this would be a day that she would never forget.

Taz was about to go out onto the lawn and meet the relatives, family acquaintances, and friends that had shown up to see her, when her mother stopped her with a shriek

"No no no, Tazia! What are you thinking? You can't go out in those!" she squealed, pulling up the hem of the dress to reveal combat boots in the place of the stilettos they had bought.

"No one can see, the dress is too long. Why should I be uncomfortable for no reason at all?" she whined.

"I don't care if you don't like them, you have to wear them. And that's final." Before her mother had a chance to usher her back upstairs, an explosion rocked the house. Screams filled the air like sands filling an hourglass, time ticking down. Taz and her mother ran outside, the skies full of robots and lasers. The robots were chanting something in a monotone, and it took Taz a couple seconds to translate.

"Destroy hu-man enslavers." They repeated it over and over like a sick mantra as they shot down the only people Taz had ever know. Fires raged everywhere, burning her eyes, her hair, her dress. She picked up a broken chair leg and stabbed it through a weak point on the back of one, hoping to stop the destruction somehow. The robot turned around, it's ocular sensors locking onto her like the jaws of a predator. She had missed anything vital, and the lack of nerves meant that she had only triggered its awareness to her presence. It began to move towards her as she backed away, but as the last screams died with the last people she knew, the other robots began to close in on her too. She prayed for a zapper, so she could take revenge, and she prayed to a dead god that her ending was quick and that she took a few with her as they got closer. One grabbed her tiny waist, nearly completely encircling it with a massive claw, and brought her over to the scraggly old apple tree in the yard. She had climbed that tree with her brothers and sisters only yesterday, and now robots were tying her to it with the intestines of her grandmother and some tassels that had decorated to tables. They batted her around, the world's cruelest kittens with the world's angriest ball of yarn. She tugged at stray wires whenever she got close enough, trying to cause them to short-circuit, but with no luck. They laughed their deep, joyless mechanical laughter at her futile attempts to fight back and her unbreakable spirit.

* * *

Up was wandering through the remains of a little mexican village. His squad gad been charged with protecting this area when they had been sneak attacked. A few members of his team had made it out alive but badly injured, so he sent them back to the Starship while he went looking for a missing member. He had found the man dead, and had been about to call in when he felt the need to check in on the ruined town nearby. Standing there, he now saw that it had been destroyed recently, how recently, he couldn't saw, at least, not until he heard what sounded like a steady stream of Spanish curses. He ran over to a house at the end of the street and saw one of the strangest sights of his life. A tiny girl in shredded finery and combat boots was hanging from a tree by a mixture of decorative rope and innards, screaming at the robots who were bludgeoning her like she was a piñata. Up raised his zapper and shot each one cleanly through the head or chest in five seconds. He rarely moved so fast, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins caused him to do things even he didn't understand sometimes. He ran over to the girl, untying her, and lowering her to the ground gingerly.

"¿Está, um, bien? Soy, uh, comandante Up, y soy un Starship Ranger," Up said uncertainly. He knew only the basics of Spanish.

"I'm fine. Jou can put me down," the girl said in a heavily accented voice. Up realized he was still holding her, and let go, but quickly grabbed on again as she began to wobble.

"You're sure sure you're fine?" he asked tentatively.

"Sí, estoy bien, no soy un bebé!" she snapped. He didn't quite know what she said, but he got the gist and let her go again. She was more stable this time and turned to look at him expectantly.

"What?"

"So, are jou going to take me to jour Starship or not?" she asked like it was to most obvious thing in the world. Up nodded and stood up, and the two of them walked back to the Starship away from the wreckage that had been the girl's home only hours ago.


	2. Training

**Note: Whoops, I put that Up was a Commander, but at this point he wasn't. That comes later. Sorry. Also, according to my crappy translator, ese means that, but Taz always said that meaning Man/Dude (great, I just made her sound like Krayonder), so I'm just gonna use it like that. I also apologize if I ever, in any chapter, write you instead of jou. You just comes more naturally than jou.**

**Again, I don't own anything, though I wish I did.**

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Red, grey, and black. That's what the past day had been for Taz. It started with the red dress, and the grey and black make-up. It had turned to blood and smoke and the charred remains of her home. It was the red of adrenaline filled battle, the grey numbness when she forgot how to feel, and the black despair when all she had lost hit her. She didn't cry when Up lead her away from her home, or when they tended to her broken bone and bruised body. She didn't cry when anyone else was around, but that night in the hospital on the ship, when no one was there to see or hear, she broke down into silent sobs as she whispered goodbye to her family and friends.

* * *

The next day the doctors declared her fit enough to move out of the infirmary, so long as she didn't strain herself too much. She didn't talk to anyone much, which was not surprising considering she had just lost everything and everyone she had ever known. She sat by herself at the cafeteria, the youngest person there by far. You had to be eighteen to enlist, and it took three years of training to become a Starship Ranger, so everyone on the ship was twenty or older. She wondered how old Up was. His hair was starting to go grey, but nearly everyone's hair was from the constant stress. He was a Lieutenant-Commander, but with the high death toll, good soldiers, which he obviously was, got promoted faster. She would guess he was about twenty-five or twenty-six, though he looked younger. Just as she was thinking about him, he dropped down in the spot next to her. He began to shovel food in his mouth, watching her from the corner of his eye. Her hair had been charred and they had to cut it off to get a clear reading off her brain to look for damage, so her flowing locks were replaced by a choppy, uneven bob.

"So, how do you like Starship?" he asked a little awkwardly. He had next to no experience with teenage girls, and what he did know he felt wouldn't be applicable to her. He suddenly realized he didn't even know her name. She had been so quiet walking back to the Starship, understandably so, and he hadn't seen her since. "What's your name?" he asked, feeling even more lame.

"My name is Taz. Jou are Up?"

"Yeah, yeah I am."

"What the hell kinda name is that?"

"What the hell kinda name is Taz?" They stared at each other for a few seconds before Taz went back to eating, looking at him suspiciously, and he started to chuckle. She narrowed her eyes at him but started to smile just a little in spite of herself.

"What are jou laughing about, ese?" she growled. Up thought bout his answer carefully. He had seen the wild gleam in her eyes when she was in that tree, surrounded by robots, and he felt like it might be a good idea to stay on her good side. "At us, at our names, at that conversation," he thought, weighing each option carefully.

"I don't think I've ever had a conversation quite like that one before." She smirked a little at that. They both returned to eating, the silence slightly less uncomfortable then it was before.

That night, Taz moved into an empty bunk in Up's old squad's room. He was being tasked with taking care of her as punishment for checking out the town instead of heading right back after finding the missing crew member. There also weren't many other women on this ship, so only one bunkhouse was needed, and it was full, so it was either sleep unattended or in the same room as Up, and the doctors didn't think it was wise for her to not have at least one person watching out for her. All the surviving members were to banged up to move out of the infirmary, so it was just them. The awkwardness returned as they sat in their bunks, diagonal from each other. Truthfully, Taz liked Up, he saved her from certain death and was the only familiar face on the Starship, but that didn't mean she wanted to be bunk buddies with him. They both stayed awake for a little while, wondering if the other was asleep, before they both drifted off.

Lasers filled her vision, fires raged, robots laughed, and Taz screamed, a mixture of terror and defiance. She felt a hand shake her and her eyes snapped open. Up was hovering above her, looking worried.

"You ok?"

"I am fine. Did I wake jou?"

"It's fine." She felt awful. Her head pounded and her throat was dry. Her heart was racing as he tucked a longer chunk hair that had fallen into her eyes behind her ears, a reaction that had to do completely with the nightmare, nothing else at all, she assured herself. Up almost asked her if she was fine again, but he remembered she didn't like that, so long as their first conversation was a valid example. Instead, he gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze. Taz, who was already regaining composure, glared at him, but didn't push him away. They sat, huddled there, until Taz finally fell asleep again and he lowered her back down.

After that, Taz and Up became allies, friends even. Up didn't tell anyone about Taz's nightmares, and Taz began to trust Up. Wherever Up went, Taz was his silent observer. This, of course, started rumors about them, rumors which were discouraged by both Taz and Up, Taz more violently then how it would be expected of a girl so small. Up picked her up from the infirmary one day after being chewed out by the doctors for putting so much strain on her body, then as an after thought, chewed her out for giving them a new patient.

"That was some good fighting there, Taz," Up told her as they walked back their bunkhouse. Taz shrugged.

"He was drunk. It was not that hard."

"Where'd you learn to fight?" She smiled, a slightly sad look in her eyes.

"I have been picking fights ever since I was a niña."

"You would be really good with some training," Up mumbled almost to himself.

"Are jou saying that I'm not good now?" she challenged.

"What? No, no I'm..." He realized she was smirking at him and he came to a stop, "That's not nice."

"Up, mi amigo, jou are the toughest son-of-a-bitch in the G.L.E.E. I think jou can take it."

"I do think you would be," he paused for a second as she raised her eyebrows in warning, "unstoppable, with some training."

"And who would train a chica like me?"

"I would." She looked at him searchingly. That night, they headed down to the gym together. Taz was tiny, but fast and hard to hit, but Up was nearly as fast, bigger, stronger, and more practiced. Taz grit her teeth in concentration and fought as hard as she could, but she couldn't beat him. She couldn't even land a proper punch. After a half hour and her eleventh defeat, she finally fell to the floor and growled her frustration.

"Come on Taz, try again." Up held out a hand to help her up, but she didn't move.

"It's hopeless! I'm never going to beat jou!" Up crouched down next to her.

"Taz, of all the recruits I have trained, none have ever beat me. Most never even hit me! And you are the closest anyone has gotten to hitting me on their first training session. You just need to learn to plan out your actions and refine you skills. And you can't give up. When something seems hard, you have to get back up. Ok?" She looked at him, then took his hand and pulled herself up. "Again," Up said as they stood in the corners of the mat, each preparing to strike.

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** Sorry if I didn't use much Spanish this chapter. My crappy translator website crashed halfway through. I guess it just means non-Spanish speakers won't have to translate as much!**


	3. Breach

**Sorry if the spaceship terminology doesn't make any sense. They're just various ship and spaceship terms I've heard over the years so I pieced them together in a way that hopefully makes sense. Also, just a heads-up, I've thickened Taz's accent a bit.**

**Stakid owns this all, I am just a vessel for their genius to be taken further in.**

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One day, after training, while both Taz and Up nursed there injuries, Taz voiced the concern she had been thinking over since she came aboard the Starship.

"Up, what's is going to happen to me?" He paused from dabbing a chemical paste onto a particularly nasty bruise. Taz had been improving every day over the past month.

"You'll be sent to a refugee camp." There was no point in trying to hide the truth from her.

"I want to be a Starship Ranger. Like jou." She added the last part so quietly Up wasn't sure he heard correctly.

"I know. I'm planning to ask Commander Spreckels today after our meeting, but the G.L.E.E. isn't big on exceptions. And you still can be a Ranger if they say no, you can join in three years!"

"I wish I was as big as jou, Up. I could pass for twelve better den eighteen. Not that it would matter, I already told jou my age."

"Yeah, if it weren't for that, I would say to fake your age. You are already more ready then most the first year recruits."

"How old are jou Up?"

"Twenty two," he said, not really paying attention.

"But, how can dat be? Jou graduated two years ago and jou are already Lieutenant-Commander?" He winced.

"As you said before, I am pretty big." Realization dawned on her face.

"Jou lied abut how old jou were to get in?"

"Yeah, I enrolled when I was your age, but I had already gone through puberty, and they were so desperate for recruits they never double-checked." They sat in silence, Taz thinking about Up's past and Up thinking about Taz's future.

Up had sat through the depressing meeting, being told very little new intel about the robots and heaps of bad news about their own forces. He had tried to concentrate, but his mind kept wandering back to what would happen to his friend. After the meeting, he hung back, trying to get the Commander's attention, but she knew what was coming and tried to dodge him.

"Commander Spreckels, can I talk with you." He didn't say it like a question so much as a demand. She sighed and turned around to face him, walking stiffly back behind the desk.

"Yes Lieutenant-Commander?" She was all business. They were actually friends, but she didn't want things to get personal.

"It's about Taz. I think she should be a Starship Ranger."

"Out of the question. She is too young and too small."

"She may be small but she's the best fighter I've ever taught." She raised an eyebrow. "How many people do you know that have left bruises on me, Commander?" Her eyes widened as he pulled up his shirt to reveal three dark bruises and a fourth that was mostly faded away.

'"Nonetheless, Up..."

"She's ready, Commander. I've never met anyone so determined." They started at each other.

"It's not up to me..."

"But you could pull some strings and make it a helluva lot more likely."

"In order to do that, she would have to do something outstanding. I'm sorry Up, but for the time being, there's nothing I can do." She was afraid he'd argue, but he just nodded his head.

"I understand, Commander. Maybe when she's older," he said, then left. She rubbed her forehead. She didn't want to turn the girl away, and she had no doubt she was good if Up said so, and she would have to be goddam incredible if she left bruises on him, but it wasn't up to her and protocol was required to keep things stable. She supposed the girl would have to wait until she was eighteen to join, and then she could be the best fighter Up had ever seen without being so young.

Taz nearly tackled him when he came through the door.

"Well?" He shook his head and her heart fell so far she was she it must have fallen on a planet bellow them.

"I'm sorry. The Commander can't do much about it with a dammed good reason."

"Mierda!" Taz swore.

"In four years..." He came to a stop as the Starship smashed into something, the impact slamming him into the wall. He got up, brushing himself off, his eyes darting around, looking for Taz. She had stumbled back and fallen into one of the empty bunks, so she was relatively unharmed. She briefly clutched her elbow, which had hit the bed frame, but was on her feet before the lights turned red and the speakers blared.

"Red Alert! Red Alert!" The robotic voice's repetition reminded her of the robot's chanting as they shot down her entire family.

"Qué diablos? Why do dey keep repeating that? Even an idiota could see that it's a Red Alert with these lights." It was because of those lights she didn't see Up blush. Not very many people knew it, but Up was red-green colorblind, and actually needed conformation about how bad of a situation they had gotten themselves into.

"Stay here," he told and turned to leave.

"Are jou loco ese? Dis is my chance to prove I can be a Starship Ranger!" He huffed.

"Fine, but stay behind me," he said as he handed her his zapper. She looked at it in awe for a few seconds before tucking the small gun into her belt and retrieving her knife, which she had concealed in the combat boots she had been wearing on the Quinceañera. They headed out into the hallway together, back to back, each checking their own side.

"Clear," called Taz. She heard a single pew and then a crash, followed by Up declaring his side was clear as well. They walked towards the side that sounded louder, walking past the robot Up had shot. Taz couldn't help but be impressed by the clean shot straight through the direct center of its head. They went down a few more hallways before running into a small group of Rangers. Two of them raised their eyebrows at Taz, but didn't comment on her presence.

"What are we dealing with here, Ensign?" Up asked in an authoritative voice.

"Robots, sir. They breached to hull." The Ensign was looking at him in awe. Taz knew Up was legendary to the other rangers, but she had never fully grasped the fact until now.

"Dode hizo la?" she asked him. He stared back blankly. "Where did dey do it?"

"Oh, oh, over there! By the reactor-core!" Up, Taz and the Ensigns ran towards the reactor core. Robots streamed through the halls, causing a trail destruction to lag behind them. They ran down to a conjunction between to halls, three robots coming from one end, one coming from the other, with the Commander in the middle. She shot down the three in front of her, but didn't hear the one behind her. Taz took aim, shooting it five times until she was sure it was dead. The Commander looked at the robot, then at Taz.

"Is dat good enough for jou?"


	4. Base

**I love you, but I don't own you, sorry Taz and Up. I know you secretly wish I did, and that I was a member of Team Starkid, and that Redvines rained from the sky, but some things just can't be. Even Redvine rain.**

* * *

Taz stood by the little window, looking out at the academy in a mixture of smugness and fear. As it turns out, saving the Commander's life and helping to rid a Starship of robots was good enough to get Taz enrolled four years early. Now, as she looked out at the place that would be her home four the next three years, she worried how she would do. She had no doubt that she would be the toughest son-of-a-bitch to ever walk the halls, but she still felt nervous. Up walked up behind her and put his massive hand on her tiny shoulder, enclosing it completely.

"I'm gonna miss jou, Up," she said quietly.

"I'll miss you too. But it's not like we're going to be completely separated. I'm staying here to train my new squad myself, and I may be teaching some sparing classes. Then we can fight just like normal." She smiled at that.

"I nearly got jou last time."

"Like hell you did!" She punched his arm playfully. "Seriously, though, you don't need to be worried. You are going to be the best dead-goddam Starship Ranger there ever was!"

"Better den jou?"

"Ok, maybe not that good..." He chuckled as he earned himself another punch, this time to his gut.

The Starship docked fifteen minutes later, and Taz stepped out, look around in complete awe. People bustled around everywhere and every surface seemed to be polished chrome that gleamed like silver. Up pointed out a spot in the corner filled with equally awed teenagers and young adults.

"That's where you need to go. See you soon, Taz," he called back to her as he was pulled away be the mass of other people.

"Bye Up!" she called back, unsure if he heard or not. She headed to the corner where the other recruits were. She was more then a foot and a half shorter then the tallest one. One of the Rangers waiting for new recruits turned and smiled at her.

"Oh, excuse me sweetie, are you lost?" Taz bristled at being called sweetie, and gave him her most chilling stare.

"No. I am here to become a Starship Ranger." His smile widened at what he thought was her naivety.

"Sorry sweetie, but you'll have to wait six years or so to become a Starship Ranger." She frowned at him and her glare became even more deadly, not that he seemed to notice.

"Did jou get any papers on a Taz Lopez?" she asked, and he checked through, the thick stack of official documents.

"Let's see, Taz Lopez. Hmm... Taz Lopez shall be made a Ranger despite of her age... Blah blah blah... Prowess in battle... Blah blah blah... Saved the Commander's life... Blah blah... Glowing recommendation from Lieutenant-Commander Up." He skimmed over it then looked at her again and raised his eyebrows. "You're telling me that you are this Taz person?"

"Sí." He looked at her doubtfully then shrugged his shoulders as if to say "Who am I to judge who joins," a fairly ridiculous idea considering the fact that he was an admissions officer and it was his job to decide who joined and how didn't, except in special cases like Taz's. One of the larger boys smirked at her.

"What did you have to do for Up to get those glowing recommendations?" he sniggered. She punched him in the jaw, and the others stared at her.

"What? I was just showing him what I had to do to get Up to give me dose recommendations." A few other recruits laughed, as did one of the Lieutenants, while the others all hid smiles.

"Ok, recruits!" a voice rung out across the hall and they all snapped to attention. "You all think you got what it takes to be Starship Rangers? You think you got what it takes to fight in the war against robots?" A few foolish recruits nodded. "Idiotas," Taz thought. "Wrong!" yelled the voice, which she could now see belonged to a Lieutenant-Commander. "You all wouldn't survive a day! So head to the gym and run twenty laps for me now, or else the robots will make you wish you could run twenty laps later." Everyone went in different directions, trying to find the gym, and as the Lieutenant-Commander scream at them, Taz smiled and thought "I think I'm gonna like this place."

* * *

**Hugs and Butterfly Kisses**


	5. Promise

**I know this is only the fifth chapter, but it's finals week so I'm too tired to think of a clever way to say that I don't own Taz or Up. And please blame any spelling mistakes on Taz's accent. A lot of them, like nothing to nuting, are on purpose, but just pretend they all are, even if someone else is speaking or Taz has nothing to do with it.**

* * *

Taz adjusted to her new life well. She was nearly half the size of some of the other recruits, but she was a tough son-of-a-bitch and she didn't let that stop her. The constant conditioning and previous time she had spent with Up made her better at sparing then all but a few of the new recruits. Up. She sighed when she thought of him. Despite her assurances that they would see each other often, she hadn't talked to him since they got the the Academy, and she only saw him briefly in the mess halls. He never sought her out and whenever she tried to approach him, her new friends ushered her to their table. They were nice enough, but she didn't share the same connection she had to Up with them. Most of her new friends were boys, considering their were only six other girls in her year, and one was a bruja and the other a pelmazoa. In truth, she missed Up. She wanted to see him again, to fight him again, to talk to him again. Her nightmares were worse without him around, and he wanted him to be there to comfort her when she woke up, but she was set on becoming the toughest son-of a-bitch at the Academy, and that meant she couldn't go crying to Up every time she had a scary dream. And he must not miss her, otherwise he would have come over to talk to her at some point. She did send one more glance at him before sitting down with the others.

* * *

Up hadn't expected to see Taz often, but he didn't think she would forget about him so easily. Since coming to the Academy, she hadn't talked to him once. Instead, she sat with kids closer to her own age, kids she had more things in common with. Twenty-two had never seemed old to him before, but now it seemed ancient compared to all the youthful, laughing faces at her table. He supposed he should be happy that she was fitting in, that she found new people to comfort her, but he just wished she would have wanted to stay friends with him too. It wasn't like he didn't have friends, he did, and he had know most of them far longer then he knew Taz, but he felt like he didn't really have the same connection with them as he had with Taz. "Taz has found her place, and it doesn't include me, otherwise she would have talked to me by now," Up thought in a conflicting mixture of happiness for his friend and sadness when he realized that she didn't think of him as a friend anymore, more of an acquaintance. Both Taz and Up sighed internally as they thought about each other, both wondering why the other one didn't want to be friends anymore.

* * *

"Venir aquí, que poco mierda!" Taz shouted at the boy. He had to be almost seven feet tall, two feet taller then Taz's 5'0", and was avoiding her tiny but powerful arms by standing on a ladder that the janitor left out, kicking her whenever she tried to follow him. Finally, seeming to give up, she stepped back, only to go barreling into the ladder, knocking it over. It wasn't a very far fall, but he groaned and clung to his leg, which had been crushed under the heavy, steel sides. "Jou never talk dat way about me or my friend ever again! Comprende?" He mumbled agreement, but as she turned away she just heard him mumble something else, something that sounded a rather lot like "Whatever, crazy bitch." She spun around and he looked a little nervous.

"What did jou just say about me?" she hissed, her tone now and menacing.

"Uh, what! It was nothing! I didn't say anything!"

"Well which was it?"

"Huh?"

"Was it nuting or did jou not say anything?"  
"Um, both?" She closed the distance in five steps even with her short legs, and punched him in the stomach, punching him again in the fcae when he doubled over in pain, bringing his grimacing mug right into striking distance. Unfortunately, his nearly as large friends happened to come around the corner at that point, seeing him lying on the ground with a bloody nose, groaning in pain, and Taz, the only person in sight, with blood on her knuckles. They may not have been the smartest bugs in the hive, but they could put two-and-two together well enough. They looked at Taz, and she looked back, her eyes blazing in rebellion.

"Bring it on, cabróns!" she shouted at them, getting into the proper fighting stance. "I wish Up was here. Then we could really show dese idiotas what we are capable of!" And with that thought still in her mind, she rushed into battle grinning like a madwoman.

* * *

Up was in the gym when he got the news that Taz was in the infirmary again. He headed there right away, not even bothering to change out of his sweat-stained workout clothes or turn off the treadmill he had been running on. When he got there, he was greeted by the sight of a very bruised, very groggy Taz.

"Up, jou came," she mumbled.

"Of course I came! Why wouldn't I?"

"I thought jou didn't want to be friends with me anymore."

"Of course I do, Taz!"

"Den why do jou never talk to me?"

"Because I thought you didn't want to be friends with me anymore!" They both laughed a little at this, until Taz started to fall asleep again.

"Up?"

"Yeah Taz?"

"Promise me dat jou will always be always be my best friend." Up looked at her in surprise, but the last thing she heard before she fell asleep was "I promise."

* * *

** I keep writing myself into ditches, the awkwardness in one chapter, the drifting apart in this one, but so far I've been able to get out. Pray it stays that way or I'll have to ask you, beloved reader, to help me out! Please review, leave comments, suggestions, requests, I might mention you at the start of a chapter if I remember too, all that jazz. Until next time**!


	6. Teacher

**Taz, Up, I'm sorry to break this to you, but someone owns your souls. But that someone isn't me, so I can't give them back. And I wouldn't even if I did own you, because you guys are so damn awesome, and I'd make you stay with me forever and ever and ever... Also, I know it's early, but I'm starting to drop TUp hints like bombs, an apt description consider that's about how subtle they are. And on a different note, apparently bruja means witch, not bitch, but now my crappy translator keeps translating bitch to female dog, or one time, literally that small woman when I looked up that little bitch, so I'm going to continue to use bruja for bitch.**

* * *

Up had been strangely touched and a little concerned when he found out the reason she had started to fight with the third year recruit, the one she crushed under a ladder, was because he had been insulting Up. He certainly hadn't helped his case by making fun of her, and then hinting at the few rumors about Up and her that had been floating around. He confronted her about it when he walked her back to her room after she had been released the next day. He now knew he hadn't helped with the rumors, having spent the night in the chair next to her bed, despite the fact that her wounds were mostly superficial. He just knew she would hate it if she woke up and he was gone, and he had a feeling that her nightmares were going to be worse then usual. He was correct, and he spent almost half an hour calming her down after she woke up frozen with silent terror. It also certainly hadn't helped stop the rumors when a few particularly gossipy nurses saw him stroking her hair until she fell asleep.

"You didn't have to defend me, you know. I don't care what some stupid recruit cares about me." She raised her eyebrows.

"Jou don't care what I dink about jou?"

"No, I said a stupid recruit, and you aren't stupid," he said before realizing it was a joke. She grinned at him while he scowled. "Damn, I have to stop falling for that," he thought angrily. He decided to move to the delicate topic they had to discuss while she was in a good mood. "You know Taz, now that we're spending more time together, more of those rumors will pop up. They always do. They would even if I was a priest and you were a nun, no, especially if I were a priest and you were a nun. People always assume the worst, especially if the worst is sensational," he told, and she frowned but nodded. The thought jumped to his mind, unwanted and unwelcome: "Though, when you think about it, those rumors are diffidently not the worst case scenario." He shook himself. What was he thinking? Taz was his best friend, nothing more. He promised her that. The voice wouldn't shut up though. "You can still be best best friends even if you're something... more." Up mentally glared at the voice in this head. "Taz doesn't feel that way about me, and it's against G.L.E.E. regulation. It would put both our jobs at risk," he thought harshly.

"Up, are jou ok?" Taz asked him, looking concerned. He shook himself and realized he had been fuming, his face set into a deep scowl and his eyes glaring angrily at nothing in particular.

"What? Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm just thinking about the sorry state of my new squad. Honestly, Taz, you could beat them all at once with your hands tied behind your back." Taz raised her eyebrows.

"So? That's nuting new." He shook his head.

"No, let me finish. You could beat them all at once, with your hands tied behind your back, while blindfolded, and they had zappers but you didn't. And you were surrounded by lava and they had lava resistant suits but you didn't. And they could fly but you couldn't." She thought about that for a few seconds before answering.

"Is that all? Well, I know jou Up, and they don't sound half bad if jou're right about what jou just said. Jou'll whip dem into shape in no time." She grinned and he chuckled at that.

"See you soon, Taz. This time for real!" He called after her as he walked away.

"Bye Up!" she replied while walking into her room. "Estúpido!" she berated herself. She had just gotten Up back as a friend the day before and now she was thinking as these stupid girly-girl thoughts over him? "Not gonna happen. He doesn't like you that way, and it's against regulation. End of story," she told herself firmly. It made sense, so why didn't she believe it?

The next day, Taz sat with her group of sort-of friends, as she called them in her mind. There were the four non-idiota girls and three non-idiota boys. She had more guy-friends, but they weren't quite as close to her as these ones. Jenna, a kind girl with short brunette hair and a ready smile was talking about her favorite classes. They had been in the Academy for almost a month now, and had good sense of which classes would be good or not.

"Ok, favorite teacher on three. One. Two. Three!" A resounding cry of "Up!" rang out from everyone who had had Combat classes before lunch, leaving Taz and a few others to look confused and awkwardly stutter off.

"Up? He is teaching?" Taz said, surprised.

"Yeah, Combat, and he's totally awesome!" Jenna said cheerfully.

"Here here!" agreed Ben, a tall boy with curly brown hair. "He taught us way better then Lieutenant Riggs ever did."

"They say he took down a Bird of Prey, that could fire while cloaked, with his bare hands," whispered Alexa, Ben's cousin, an almost equally tall girl. She had a certain flair for drama.

"Oh, I can't wait! I have Combat last period!" Fee said gleefully. She came from Farm Planet, and her full name was Fighting Puppies, but she insisted that they call her Fee instead, which was fine with Taz.

"Why is Up teaching instead of Lieutenant Riggs?" Taz asked, genuinely curious.

"They say it involves a cross-dresser, traditional welcoming body-shots, a musical number, and hundreds of angry texts," said Phoebe, a girl only a little bigger then Taz with blond curls, big blue eyes but and a nasty bite, quite literally.

"You know Lieutenant-Commander Up, right Taz?" asked Blake, a ginger boy who always seemed to be moving in some way.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. He saved my life, and he taught me how to fight so I would be ready when I got here, and he argued my case for me to even go here in the first place," Taz said, all while thinking "And he is de toughest son-of-a-bitch I know and my best friend, and he is really quite un hombre apuesto," then almost started to blush when she realized what she had thought. "Taz, eres estúpido. Por qué incluso ir allí, que son perfectamente bien solo ser amigos? No se puede permitir que una estupidez sentimientos conseguir de la manera de que. No siente esa manera acerca de usted," she though fiercely.

"Did someone say something about Lieutenant-Commander Up?" said a painfully high voice as Marisa, the bruja, swooped into their conversation. "He is soooooo hot! OMDG, he's like, totally perfect! Today in class, I was like, trying to concentrate on what he was saying and stuff, but that shit is sooooo boring, so I just stared at his abs instead. I hope Lieutenant Riggs like, never comes back or something," she giggled.

"Can you excuse us? We're trying to have a conversation." Jenna glared at her as she said it.

"It's not my fault I can hear everything you say. But go on, I'm not even here," she said, despite the fact that she had plunked down on the bench at their table and was examining her nails.

"So, anyway, he taught us a ton of techniques that will really come in handy when fighting both robots and humans," Ben said, glaring when Marisa cut him off.

"Plus, he's supermegafoxyawesomehot!" They all glared at her.

"Don't jou have other friends to bother?" asked Taz.

"They all have lunch at a different time," she pouted, then looked confused as to why they were all laughing, not realizing she had just admitted she annoyed her friends. It was true though, none of them were there. An unusual number of airheads had somehow made it through the whole first year, and were currently being airheads in the second year, which had lunch at a different time.

"There's always Brenda," Alexa offered, talking about the other girl in their year, the bore.

"No, I don't like her. All she talks about is herself, like she's so special. She isn't even that pretty," grumbled Marisa, earning several smirks. While it was true that Brenda only talked about herself, it was incredibly hypocritical for Marisa to complain about that, seeing that Marisa would only talk about herself as well. "Besides, Brenda already has friends." It was true, Brenda had somehow found a group that didn't mind her endless chatter about herself.

"You could always flirt with some of the boys," suggested Phoebe.

"I've already flirted with all the ones in our year, and if I start to circle through flirting with them all again, a few might get the idea I actually like them." She literally shuddered at the thought.

"God forbid someone thinking you actually have sentiment," muttered Blake.

"I know, right?" They all gaped at her and hoped she didn't know what sentiment meant. "Well, have fun with Up, y'all. But not too much fun, Taz." She gave Taz a wink, before getting up and strutting away, swinging her hips with exaggerated motions. Jenna and Phoebe were holding Taz down.

"Dat little bruja," hissed Taz, clentching her fists, trying to push her anger down.

"Whatever. Don't listen to her. Any idiot could see that you and Up are just friends," said Jenna, and the others nodded in agreement. "Hey, has anyone seen Don?" Just as she said that, a muscular but clumsy boy plopped himself on the bench, spilling soup on the table.

"Whoops. Sorry guys." He seemed taken aback.

"It's fine. Where were you?" Phoebe asked, trying to wipe the flecks of soup off her face as discretely as possible.

"Lieutenant-Commander Up was helping me. I couldn't get the new moves down right in class, so he showed me after, and then I stayed in the gym practicing," he said through a mouthful of bread. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"Marisa made some amusing comments about flirting and Up," said Alexa, Taz glared at her. "The one she made about Taz and Up wasn't funny or realistic in anyway, I was talking about her calling him, what was it? Supermegafoxyawesomehot? Something like that," she said hurriedly, and Taz relaxed. Don snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Ah, Marisa. You cause hours of fun with your stupidity without even knowing it." The others heartily agreed. Taz smiled and looked for Up. Rumors or not, she wanted to talk to him before class and tell him that the others approved of his teaching.

After lunch, everyone went their separate ways to get ready for their next class, but Taz had Combat next, and she didn't need any text books for that. She wandered over to the gym and found it mostly empty, just Up and a few other Rangers. She called out to Up and waved. He smiled and put down the weight he had been lifting, walking over.

"Hey, Taz."

"I hear jou're teaching sparring today."

"Ah yes. Lieutenant Riggs... couldn't make it today, so I'm teaching in his place. Who told you?"

"Some of my friends, who now say that jou are dere favorite teacher."

"Did you have to punch them to make them say that?"

"No."

"Well, in that case, I am genuinely touched." He laughed and she punched his arm.


	7. Movie

**I don't condone slavery, so I own neither Taz nor Up. Also, almost a hundred and fifty people have read at least part of this, and I have gotten two reviews (Thanks to the guest and the wonderful HopelessWish, read her stories they are beautiful and she herself is super awesome.) What's wrong with that picture?**

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The other students filled into the gym, looking at Up in a mixture of fear and awe. A few managed to keep their faces mostly expressionless, and Taz just smirked, rolling her eyes. She had heard some of the rumors told about Up, and if half of them were true then Up was Batman. She supposed that made her Robin, but she had always had a soft spot for Commissioner Gordon, seeing how he was always baffled, and she felt like someone needed to take him aside and explain everything. She would hate to be confused about what was going on all the time. Not that she got what was going on all the time nowadays. She herself was particularly confused about if it was fully appropriate to have funny, girly, estupido feelings about her best friend and Commanding officer. She was broken out of her pondering when Up started speaking to them.

"Now, recruits, today I'm gonna show you some moves that can be used against humans, but with slight variation, can also be used on robots. Now can I have a volunteer to show what to do?"

"I bet he's gonna pick Taz," one boy mumbled to his friend.

"Nah, they 'practice' after curfew," his friend replied with a smirk.

"You there!" Up called, pointing to the first boy who had been talking. "Come over here, I need to demonstrate what to do." The boy looked stricken as he walked over, getting into a sloppy fighting form, which Up corrected with a shake of his head. Up then launched into a number of kicks and punches, not nearly full power but harder then he would normally use on a recruit. He slowed down and showed everyone the moves and countermoves. "Now practice with each other," he said as he paired them up. Taz smiled when he paired her up with other boy who had been talking, who blanched when he turned around to see his partner, smiling evilly and cracking her knuckles. Taz didn't hold anything back when practicing the punches and kicks, getting each of the relatively simple but effective moves in a few tries, but practicing on the idoita a few more times the necessary, as he flailed his arms and legs in clumsy imitations of the counter moves, before stopping him and letting him try, countering each one with ease, his slow, clunky movements no match for her swift, smooth ones. She finally ended his pathetic attempts by throwing one of the kicks they had been learning, sending him staggering back, pinwheeling his bruised arms to try to keep his balance before finally landing on his back. He moaned pitifully, and as much as Up wanted to teach the idiot a lesson, he couldn't let one of his recruits give up or get hurt.

"Come on ese, get up and face me," Taz said, getting into fighting stance.

"Can't. Hurts too much," he moaned back.

"Don't be such a poco enclenque," Taz taunted him. "I didn't even hit jou dat hard!"

"Come on, recruit. You can do it," Up said as he walked over, outstretching his hand for the boy to grasp.

"Can't. Too hard." Up frowned at that.

"Listen, recruit, life can be hard, and life fighting artificial life is even harder, but no matter what, you got to get back up." The boy looked up before grasping Up's hand and being dragged up. "Now, recruits, let's kick it up a notch!" He clapped his hands together and the majority of them groaned. "Get into new pairs and fight, using whatever you know, but pay special attention to what I taught you today." Everyone drifted over to the sparring partner they had whenever they got to chose. Taz found hers, a massive boy who was about equally matched to her. They had both won against each other about an equal number of times, but today, she knew she would win. She wanted to show of how strong she had become since Up had helped her out to show the time they had spent together hadn't been wasted. Not that she would ever think that time spent with him was wasted... She shook her head and launched herself at her partner the second the whistle sounded. The fight was ferocious and long, but Taz finally pinned him and got him to practically squeak "Yield." Up looked suitably impressed but didn't mention it, instead teaching them how their new skills could be used on certain models of robots if you hit the correct spot. He set them to practicing on robot dummies, watching them and correcting the form of students who weren't doing it right, but his mind was elsewhere, trying to not notice how Taz's eyes burned with a passionate fury at the robot dummies, or how fluid her movements were as she disabled them with a few precise hits. He did a good job, and even those trying to see if they were paying special attention to each other didn't notice how hard he was trying to not notice her. Soon, the class concluded and everyone walked out cheery but bruised. It had been much more fun and useful then Lieutenant Riggs's boring lectures and out of date methods, and the few second year girls who were working-out in the gym or were repeating level-one Combat giggled about how hot he was in hushed yet still shrill and annoying tones. Taz wanted to hit them for being idiotas before the most horrible realization of her life washed over her: she agreed with the idiotas, something she said she would never do. She practically ran to the bunkhouse, trying to escape the fact that she agreed with something a group of people who were just bellow robots on the scale of hate in her mind had said. Fee, Phoebe and Jenna looked up as she swung herself through the doorway, overjoyed that Marisa wasn't there.

"You ok?" asked Jenna, her eyebrows crinkling in worry.

"I couldn't stand another giggle or shriek from Marisa's estupido friends. Is it just me, or are dey getting worse?" Taz said,pushing her hair back from her eyes. It had begun to grow long again and she thought she might have to get it cut soon. Her friends shared a glance so quickly she thought she might have imagined it.

"They always get worse when the prom gets near," Alexa said slowly.

"Mierda," Taz swore as she sunk down the wall. She had forgotten about that. She wasn't going, none of her friends were, but hat hadn't stopped people from trying to get her to go. She knew there were two official parties each year, prom and the graduation after party, and attendance at the graduation after party was enforced, as was wearing dresses. Taz had hated wearing dresses before, but now whenever she thought of them she could only think of the charred and broken bodies of her family. Noe that prom was approaching, the brujas would only talk about dresses and guys. One of them would undoubtedly try to pat her in a dress, and then Taz would have to explain that she had broken the girl's nose for a perfectly good reason. She was in a noticeably worse mood the rest of the night, heading back to bed early.

"What's up with Taz?" Don asked as she was out of earshot.

"Up's up with Taz, if you believe the rumors. But I don't. They are both to sensible for that," said Phoebe.

"So you don't think there is anything between Taz and Up?" asked Jenna.

"I never said that. I think Up is Taz's best friend and vice versa, but I also think she has feelings for him, and she's too confused or sensible or both to act on them, that's all," Phoebe explained.

"When she came in and asked if the girls were getting worse, we know from her reaction that she wasn't thinking about the prom, and she just happened to say that the day the girls would not shut up about how attractive Up is," Alexa put in. The others nodded.

"She's smart enough to stay away from that minefield," Ben added, and the others mumbled agreement before returning to eating the bland ham sandwiches that were diner that night.

On the night of the prom, none of her friends went but they all had other plans, so Taz was left alone. She made her way down the the gym, expecting it to be deserted, only to find Up attacking a punching bag. "Great, just what I need," she thought sarcastically. "Up working out in a tight tank-top the night all the chicas are dressed up like it's deir Quinceañera." She shook herself and went in anyway, pummeling the punching bag next to him. They worked out in silence, the scrape of the chains their targets were held by and the sound of contact as their fist hit the stuffed vinyl the only noises.

"Why aren't you at the party?" asked Up, finally breaking the silence.

"Too many dresses. Too many memories. And besides, none of my other friends wanted to go." Up looked at her, seeing the anger on her face, and he stopped. She turned and looked at him, confused.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" She looked surprised but pleased.

"Ok, what movies do jou have?"

"Have you seen The Karate Kid?"

"Sí, it is my favorite."

"Really? Which one?"

"The one with Jackie Chan."

"Really, that's my favorite too?"

"Well, who likes the first or third?"

"I know! I heard they are remaking it again. Just shameful." The friends headed back to his room talking about the heartlessness of Hollywood and Jackie Chan. Up put the movie in the DVD player and Taz made popcorn. They settled down on the couch together to watch their favorite movie, fighting over snacks and the blankets, and Taz finally felt like she was at home.

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**So, did you like it. Please review or I will cry myself to sleep softly, and as funny as that sounds you hopefully won't be watching, so you wouldn't be able to laugh and point anyway. So there.**


	8. Calculus

**I sorely wish I did, but I don't own Starship, Starkid, Taz or Up. Everything Taz thinks in her dream is in Spanish, just use your imagination. Also, despite the AVPS references about why he was missing I wrote a couple chapters ago, Dylan is NOT Lieutenant Riggs. On another note: ****_REVIEW, PEOPLE!_**

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Taz stood in a ruined dress as robots picked her up, hanging her from her favorite climbing tree by the waist. She saw the obliterated house that had been her home moments ago, now just firewood for the destruction raging around her. She saw her mother, her father and her two sister and two brothers, a look of terror set on their faces as their flesh cooled despite of the fire. Taz was looking for someone, and the word up repeated itself until she remembered the most gorgeous blue eyes, blue like a deep lake, like the ocean. "He's supposed to get me now," she thought her nausea receding. She could diminish her nightmares only by thinking about him. She knew, when she was awake and could think of such things, that she wouldn't have nightmare, or at least they would be better, if he was there, but if people gossiped because they talked sometimes then she couldn't even imagine what would happen if he came into her room at night. In her nightmare, she calmed herself, waiting for Up to come, but as she saw him approach, something happened that never should have, a robot came up from behind him and shot him in the stomach, and he fell to his knees. with his dying strength, he shot the robots, all of them, and then shot through the decretive ropes and innards that had tied her to the tree. She ran to him screaming his name, telling him she loved him, and as he opened his mouth to reply, his eyes went dark and his gentle voice became an awful croak, and Taz was left alone, with everything she ever cared about, everything she ever loved, gone from the world, taken by the robots. She woke up at three in the morning, crying silent tears that she, the toughest son-of-a-bitch in her whole year, couldn't stop for the life of her.

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Up was having the worst dream of his life. It wasn't a nightmare, it didn't fill him with fear or dread, it filled him with anger that burned cold white. He had had nightmares that were worse, but never had he felt so angry. It was Taz's Quinceañera, and she was standing in front of him but she looked all wrong. Her dress was ripped and charred around the bottom, but the rip looked intentional and the char was so uniform it just looked like a hem that aded a bit of contrast. The blood all over her body was shining and glistening, in blotches shaped like elegant abstract patterns. Her lips shone red as the blood, and the smoke built-up on her smokey eyeshadow, blending so it looked like it was meant to be there to be more dramatic. Her hair had been burnt off, but it was removed in a perfect diagonal line. She looked like a model for an avant-garde fashion show. She looked gorgeous, she looked glamorous. And that was what made him angry. It was her pain, her horror, the things that haunted her, yet here it looked so beautiful, so perfect, like it was meant to be that way. There was something wrong with her eyes, too. Up looked at them, trying to place it, as a girlish giggle wrung out through the air, a poor imitation of Taz's true laugh, despite the fact that this... other Taz's mouth hadn't moved. She stepped forward slightly swinging her hips like that airhead Marisa, and as she approached, he saw what was wrong with her eyes. There was no determination. Taz had always had a flame in her eyes, when he first met her after her family was killed and she was beaten, when she trained in the gym, when she was doing nothing in particular. She didn't necessarily have to be determined about anything, it was just part of who she was. Now this imitation smiled at him stupidly and he knew that even in she, or it, looked like Taz, this wasn't Taz. It was someone or something entirely different, and that it made him sick as well as angry. He woke up, fuming, trying to forget the glamorous, empty Taz he had just seen.

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It was a major point of gossip the next day that both Taz and Up seemed tired. True enough, both had bags under their eyes, but Taz's roommates all, except Marisa, swore that Taz never left and Up never came in.

"I wasn't awake the whole time, and neither were you!" Marisa argued with the other girls before Taz showed up at breakfast.

"I doesn't matter, we still would've know. Besides, Taz isn't that type of person," Jenna said and the other girls agreed, even Brenda.

"Honey, I think any girl would become 'that type of person' for Up," Marisa said with a giggle, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder and smiling.

"You would risk your future, and Up's future, for a date? And if Up's future is involved, you could be trading the entire human race for a date, since he might be instrumental in the war for all we know!" Alexa snapped.

"Ooooo, that's, like, totally romantic!" cried Marisa gleefully. The others stared at her in horror and disbelief until Taz showed up and stopped the conversation. Taz saw the other's faces and realized Marisa must have said something stupid. She would have to ask what it was later. Marisa saw Taz and left giggling, and Taz decided that maybe she didn't want to know what stupid things Marisa was saying if she didn't want to get in trouble for fighting again. She sat down on the bench where Brenda had been sitting before she drifted off a few seconds after Marisa left.

"Marisa being an idiot?" Taz asked simply.

"Yep."

"Do I want to know?"

"Nope." Taz decided that her friends probably knew best and left it at that and she reluctantly swallowed the globs of cold, clumpy oatmeal that was served for breakfast.

"I heard dat dey actually served real food here once," Taz said mournfully. "Dead-goddamn budget cuts." The others grumbled their agreement.

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Taz's day didn't get better from there. Her classes were fin but mostly boring, Lieutenant Riggs came back, boring as ever. Throughout the day, all she could see whenever she closed her eyes was Up's lifeless body, and throughout calculus class, the teachers raspy voice sounded like his last, forced breath. As she looked over the calculus homework, trying to recall what the teacher had actually been saying, she couldn't remember a word. Not that she would have gotten it anyway. Taz was actually surprisingly good at most of her classes, mostly As or Bs, but calculus wouldn't stay in her head. She just didn't get it. She slammed her head on the table a few times before someone clear their throat. She jumped up, her head whipping back and forth, getting into the correct fighting posture. She didn't expect to be attacked, but she also didn't expect anyone to be in the library. The library was Taz's secret retreat. Due to the cursed budget cuts, there was no librarian, and Taz didn't know any other recruits that liked to read, so if she needed to be alone, she would go to the library and lose herself in an adventure story. It was also where she did her homework, away from Marisa's shrill voice and loud complaints about her homework, which she always gat some poor boy to do for her anyway. Taz relaxed when she realized it was Up who had snuck up on her.

"Is the table ok?" he asked innocently.

"In any other case jou would be right to doubt the table, but when cal-cu-lus is involved, my head is the one that needs to be worried about," Taz moaned.

"Come on, you're the toughest son-of-a-bitch I've ever met, and you're fazed by a few numbers? How hard can it be?" Taz started to hit her head on the table again. "Oh, that hard. Well, I passed calculus. I could help you." Taz stopped and looked up hopefully. Up dragged a chair over and got to work. They worked for an hour and a half, just as they did every night until Taz got it. Soon, her D rocketed up to an -A, then to an A. After receiving her grade, Taz found Up and hugged him. He didn't actually smell her, or at least he didn't mean to, but he couldn't help but notice she smelled both spicy and chocolatey. He liked it.

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Taz later berated herself. Why hug Up? It was in the friendliest of contexts and they were alone, but that didn't mean she should torture herself. She knew she couldn't have him, even if he liked her, and he didn't, so why tempt herself? Why give her the chance to see how perfect it felt to be in his arms, or the fact he smelled like the deep, salty, refreshing sea of his eyes? Why make this situation harder for herself?

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**REVIEW! Also, I know this chapter was a little overdramatic, so sorry 'bout that.**


	9. Graduation

**As much as it hurts my soul to say this, I don't own Taz or Up. *Sob***

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Taz sat against the tree, savoring it's shade. She liked the garden, even though the partly-cloudy sky was synthetic and everything was manicured. She read a book from the library, a classic, Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince. It was a week after the end of the year tests and a point with no homework. To top that off, she had passed into the next year with flying colors, she didn't have to wear a dress to graduation, and Up had taken Riggs's position for two years, and so she would see him ever day. The only thing that could have possibly put a damper on her good move was that she wasn't allowed to fight anymore or she would have to serve a detention, a very rare thing. If she could wait just a week longer, it would no longer be a problem. Unfortunately, this lead to all kinds of baiting, and so she spent a lot of her free week in her dorm or the library, which had been found to her dismay. She couldn't hang out with Up because that would just give them more ammunition to attack her with. She grit her teeth as some burly second-year recruits approached her. She continued to read, ignoring them.

"So, the beast reads."

"I think she's just looking at the pictures. It is in English after all."

"Idiotas, just because jou can't read doesn't mean everyone can't," Taz said, sounding bored. The boys hissed angrily, and the biggest one grabbed the book right out of her hands. "Give it back, cabrón," she growled.

"Why, you're to little to do anything about it sweetheart. Tell you what though. You give me a kiss, like you do to your friend Up, and I may give it back. No promises, though." He chortled along with his friends until a shadow passed over her and she felt herself being pulled up and placed on Up's shoulders.

"This tall enough, assholes?" Up asked them, then chased them as Taz let out her battle cry. The bullies ended up in the dumpster, and Up fished her book out for her. "I love this one," he said as they walked away, and he started to read a bit before stopping, and, was it Taz's imagination or was he blushing? He bid her goodbye, and as she looked at the page he had, she blushed too. It was going on about Harry's conflicted feelings about Ginny and why they couldn't be together (her boyfriend, her being Ron's sister, and a multitude of others) even though he wanted to be. "I must have imagined the blush" thought Taz assuredly, walking back to her dorm.

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The Graduation ceremony was long and boring, but considerably better then it would have been if she had been wearing a dress. The Ambassador, an old man with long grey hair and a wart under his left eye, droned on and n in a monotone. When it was finally time to go up and be given the certificate that allowed them to progress into the next year of training Taz had almost fallen asleep. She snapped awake with enough time to straighten out her dress uniform and smile delightedly before she was ushered onto the stage. Other recruits had family members watching from Earth of refugee camps, their smiling faces on the screens. Taz just had Up, who sat there with a look of quiet pride on his face. It thrilled her to the core to see him proud of her, but a tiny bit of her was dissatisfied at how fatherly it looked. She shook herself. All she ever wanted was to make him proud, so she should be overjoyed, right? That little bit of her that rebelled against reason scoffed at that. "Cualidad, jou know jou want way more den just his pride," it told her, so she ignored it. Like it or not, his pride was all she would get, because his love wouldn't be safe enough for anyone. Unauthorized relationships between personnel of different ranks wasn't allowed for a reason. It would be dangerous to everyone if they were just looking out for each other, not the rest of their squad too. She shook herself yet again. This was no time to be pining over what couldn't be, this was a time to celebrate! Up was proud, she was one step closer to becoming a Starship Ranger, and there was a cake and real food that was going to be served later. This was an awful day to think about what she didn't yet have, considering she was literally living her dream. She smiled the whole time on the stage, but by the time she left, if Up had been close enough he would have seen it was slightly forced.

The night was a blur of colors, navy blue for the most part, and the food was delicious. A few of her friends were a little homesick, considering that the break between training in one year to the next was cancelled to prepare them faster. If the robots could churn out more ready-to-fight robots, then the G.L.E.E. had to prepare it's Starship Rangers faster too to even compete with the robots. The second year courses would commence in two days, not enough time to visit family on Earth. Luckily for Taz, her only family lived in the Academy too.

* * *

Taz had been having a fine evening until Marisa walked up. She had changed into an amazingly short, tight, pink dress that was tacky but went really well with her skin. She might have been stupid, but she knew how to dress, in her own style. She grabbed Taz's arm and twirled her around, her big green eyes squinting and big pink lips pursed.

"What?" asked Taz, a little concerned. Anything that made Marisa move her face in ways that could give her wrinkles was a big deal.

"You and your boyfriend chased some super hot guys in to a dumpster. If you have to do anything icky to any guys, do it to the ugly guys and nerds, kay?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, but my just-friend and I chased some bullies into de dumpsters. Is dat what jou're talking about?" Taz said, annoyed.

"Um, first off, Up is totally your boyfriend, and second, yeah, that was what I was talking about," Marisa said it like it was the most obvious thin in the world. Taz could hit people now without having to go to detention, but she wanted to wait until after the second year classes had actually started to get into any fights. Not that anything with Marisa involved would be a fight. If Taz so much as chipped her nail or smudged her makeup Marisa would start blubbering.

"I tink I would know if I had a boyfriend, Marisa." She didn't add what she was thinking: "Especially if that boyfriend was Up."

"Of course you know, silly, you just aren't admitting it. You could tell me though. I would keep it a secret." Marisa leaned in like she actually excepted Taz to spill her guts about how she and Up were dating and madly in love and a bunch of other mierda. Taz wanted to punch Marisa with all her heart, and if she wasn't so used to not getting what her heart wanted when she was with Up, Marisa would have been bawling already.

"Marisa, I am not dating, nor ever will date Up, and if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"Does that mean Up is fair game?"

"No, he's our superior officer, so he's off-limits."

"He's superior to you maybe, but no one is out of my league." Marisa walked away giggling, swinging her hips as she tugged her top lower. Taz suddenly wished their was alcohol available, but had to content herself with punch that hadn't yet been spiked. Up appeared at her shoulder.

"Hey Taz. I just wanted to say, I am so proud of you." Taz felt elated and gave him a quick hug, more daughterly then the last one.

"Thanks Up, that means a lot to me. Also, you should watch out. Marisa just realized we aren't dating and she's on the prowl." He smiled and thanked her, turning away before she could see the disappointment in his eyes. She didn't think about him 'that way' so much that she could even make jokes about it involving Marisa. He was furious at himself; He should be happy for his friend, but instead he just whined to himself about how she'll never love him the same way. At least, that's how he saw it. They both sent the rest of their time at the party mingling uncomfortably. After the party, Taz caught up to Up just as he was leaving, and asked hesitantly "Do jou want to, I don't know, watch The Karate Kid?" She expected him to decline for some reason which she later realized was stupid. Just because he didn't like her the same way didn't mean he didn't want to hang out. Up was secretly overjoyed when she asked, even though he knew she just meant to hang out.

"Sure! I love watching movies with you," he replied then he began to wonder if he sounded to eager before realizing that was stupid. They went back to his room, repeating their ritual of Taz getting snacks and blankets while Up put in the DVD, before curling up on their own side of his tiny couch, and settling in to watch the movie. At the end of the movie, Taz was so tired she was almost tempted to ask to sleep on the couch. She got up eventually, went to the door, turned around and gave a sloppy salute.

"To the next year, Up," she said as she stepped into the hallway.

"To you too, Taz," he answered right before the door clicked shut. They both got into bed and neither one of them had nightmares that night.


	10. Ensign

**I just bought Starkid! No I didn't. I still don't own Taz or Up, or Dr. Spaceclaw.**

* * *

Two years. Two years of constant training and learning. Two years of blood and sweat but very little tears. Two years of fighting other recruits and her feelings for Up. Two years of movie nights. Two years of hellish nightmares. Two awful birthdays. It had taken Taz all of those things to finally stand of the stage and become a Starship Ranger. The smile on her face was the closest all but one of the people in the crowd would get to seeing the 'real Taz'. She was going to be a Starship Ranger, she was going to get back at those cabrón robots who killed her family. Her only worry would be if she got separated from Up. He hadn't yet found out who was on his new team, and if the Ambassador believed in the rumors that persisted to float around, they might be assigned to different ships. Up was waiting to tell Taz something big. He had been promoted to Commander, and got to pick members of his team. Taz and her friends, the ones that hadn't already been chosen, were all put on his ship and he informed the enrollment officer he wouldn't touch Marisa with a ten-foot pole. He waited to tell TAz this to prolong her agony a little longer, because it was one of the few times he knew he had leverage on her for sure. Taz ran through the crowd to find him.

"Now we just have to wait to see which ships we're on."

"You bet Ensign Taz."

"Whatever, Lieutenant-Commander Up."

"It's Commander Up now."

"But dat means... Jou know already?"

"Uh huh."

"And jou are going to tell me right now?"

"Nope." She launched herself at him with her signature battle cry. He ducked out of the way then hoisted her up, holding her at arms length. She couldn't reach him, so she twisted out of his grasp, landing softly, then she walked up and lightly kicked his had gathered a slight crowd, and were getting a lot of looks, gathering even more as they both burst out laughing. Eventually, everyone walked away and reminding themselves that if Up and Taz were acting like that, then it was a good idea to steer clear of the punch. Taz looked at Up gratefully as she got the list of what ship she was on. The names were of most her friends and a lot of people who she didn't hate. It was a good crew of sensible people. She looked at the name of the ship, the Guerreroa, then glanced up at him, but he didn't seem to notice. It was probably nothing, she was reading to much into it. All ships were female and it was a warship, so the name made sense. It had nothing to do with her, she was sure of it. Up looked at her sideways a few moments later. She was happy with the crew, but did she like the name. He knew it was subtle to most people, the Warrior, in feminine form, in Spanish. If anyone bothered to translate it, they would think it was feminine because ships are female and it was the Warrior because it was a warship. Perhaps that's what taz thought it was too.

"De name is nice," she said softly in a tone he didn't recognize.

"I thought you might like it." She turned to look at him, and their eyes locked together, but before either could say anything someone on the stage started speaking. It was a tall man, with thick black hair that had been slicked back and a handsome face, but that wasn't what caught people's attention. What made everyone look at him was the fact his arms were robotic. It was the famous Dr. Spaceclaw, head of the G.L.E.E. and robotics expert. It was said he could replace anyone's missing limb with a robotic part. Taz never liked him from the few times she had seen him speak at meetings or events like this one. He seemed fake, not in that his arms were fake, which they were, but that his likable demeanor seemed up bit to oily and perfect. She felt like he wouldn't be pleasant at all if you really knew him. He delivered a short speech in his smooth, deep voice, then mingled with the crowd.

"I love how he doesn't act all high and mighty and actually talks to us," said one Ranger passing by.

"I know! He just seems so charismatic!" replied his friend. Taz shook her head. "Dat's why he's doing dis, to seem charismatic, not because he actually likes us!" she thought. Just then, Spaceclaw came up to her and Up.

"Commander Up, so nice to see you again," he purred, sounding incredibly fake to Taz.

"It's good to see you to, Sir," Up replied stiffly. Taz wondered if Up didn't like him either.

"And this must be Ensign Taz. I've heard so very much about you. Hopefully I will continue to hear more about you in the future. You are one of the youngest people to graduate, and I have heard you have great potential."

"Thank you, Sir. It is an honor to meet you," Taz said as professionally as she could. He looked like he wanted to say more but someone pulled him away to talk. "I do not like dat man," muttered Taz.

"He is your boss, so don't let him hear that," Up murmured back. The night stretched on into the early hours of the morning before the party ended and Taz said goodbye to Up and her other friends, her were for the most part rejoicing about the ship they were on. It wasn't until she was tucked into her bed, ready to go to sleep that Taz remembered Up's comment about the name of the ship, and it stayed with her, taunting her until sleep finally came.

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**Taz graduated, good for her. The next chapter/chapters are going to be about her rookie mission and a few missions when she isn't a rookie. Any ideas for what any of those missions should be? If so, REVIEW. If you don't have any idea, REVIEW ANYWAY! I still have only gotten two reviews.**


	11. Ambush

**I'm sorry if I have been updating too often, but it is semester break and I have four straight days of nothing to do and I have been on a roll, so I have been writing up a storm. I also apologize for my excessive use of sentence fragments. And would it hurt you people to review? I've gotten 252 views so far and the only reviews I've gotten are the two I mentioned before and one more from the marvelous HopelessWish, who I also mentioned before.**

**I would love to own Taz and Up, but, tragic as it is, I don't. **

* * *

Taz stood at the window, watching the place she had lived in for three years disappear. It wasn't home, but was as close as she had gotten since the robots destroyed her first home. It was where she meet her new friends, where she watched The Karate Kid, where she learned calculus, where Up promised to be her best friend forever. Up. She sighed. He had a lot of responsibilities now, and she doubted she would get to see him as much now that he was a Commander and she was an Ensign. She hadn't talked to him about what he had meant about her liking the name of the ship, and now she knew she never would. Not only was it wimpy and estupido to talk about her feelings, if it was a throwaway comment then he wouldn't remember it and then it would be awkward, and he might even realize how she felt. That was something she could never let happen. She rested her forehead of the cool glass, her breath painting it light grey like fog. She doodled a frown in it before erasing it so no one would see. It would be just her luck for someone to see Taz, the toughest son-of-a-bitch in all of G.L.E.E., doodling. She sighed again, fogging up the glass again, wondering why Up had to seem so perfect to her.

* * *

Up saw Taz sighing as she looked out the window. He knew she must have been sad about leaving the Academy. He knew it wasn't her home, but it was the closest thing she had to a home. He walked up behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. If anyone else had tried this, their hand, or at least several fingers, would be broken already, but he had done this so many times she was used to the weight and warmth of his hand.

"You ok?" he asked her gently.

"Sí. I am ready to move on." She sounded so sure of it, for a second he was convinced she was sad for another reason. Then he decided she was putting on a dead-goddamned brave face. On most days he would have called her out on it, but today he decided she could mourn the loss of her almost-home in peace.

"Well, just don't be late for the briefing," he said hesitantly, walking away. He wished he could help her feel better. Maybe he would ask her to come watch The Karate Kid later to make her feel less homesick.

* * *

At the briefing, there were plenty of jeers about rookies. It was a hazing ritual for the twenty Ensigns who were on their first mission. Taz took it with grace, not punching anyone and smirking, which was all Up could really hope for. He cleared his throat, and everyone snapped to attention. He smirked. He could really get used to this kind of respect.

"Soldiers, are mission is to destroy an advanced robot ship and steal the plans to see if we can recreate something similar with our technologies and recourses. We will run into robots, but the crew of the Lion should keep most of the robots busy. We need to get to the mainframe to download the plans and plant the explosives. We will have a limited time to do this, but it is manageable. Any questions?" One timid looking Ensign, not a rookie but very nearly, raised his hand. "Yes, Ensign?"

"How long exactly do we have?"

"Twenty minutes to half an hour, if we're lucky. Anyone else?" No one raised their hand, so Up merely nodded his head while saying "Good. We'll be there in fifteen minutes." The group disbanded, and quiet, subdued chatter filled the air. Up walked up to Taz, who was gathering ammo and checking over her weapons. "You ok, Taz?" he asked her.

"Sí, I'm fine. If jou want to comfort someone who isn't ok, dere is a group of rookies over dere who claim to be queasy," she said shortly. He mentally shrugged before walking over to the small group she had pointed at. He supposed she didn't want to show weakness, which was actually a rather good idea. This mission was the rookies' chance to prove that they were going to be valuable members of the team. He went around the room, either scaring, inspiring, or comforting the ones who needed it, until they finally were alerted that they were about to reach the ship. They all gathered in the docking bay, preparing to enter the robot ship. The doors grated open, leading into the ugly, dim corridors of the enemy ship. Up wavered them forward, and they all followed him as silently as they could, setting their blasters to silent, except for Taz, Up and a few others, who had done that already. The minimal lighting made it hard to see much of anything and set everyone's teeth on edge, all of them expecting a robot to appear out of nowhere before they had time to react. The lighting was made to combat humans, too light for night-vision goggles to work, too dark to use flashlights without sticking out like a sore thumb, and it got on the nerves and played into the fears of any human attackers who happened to be onboard. They made it five minutes before reaching any robots, which Taz shot down with several light grey, silent lasers. Up realized they weren't moving fast enough and motioned for them to kick it up a notch. They jogged, attracting more robots but not in numbers they couldn't deal with. They arrived at the mainframe room in eight minutes, giving them twelve minutes to download all the data they could then get back to the Guerreroa. The technicians ran forward, each placing a flash-drive in several places, hoping to get as much information as possible in the shortest amount of time. When the last one was placed in and the computer had been hacked into, an alarm started blaring and robots started to swarm to the room, trapping them inside. Taz was at the front line in seconds, shooting down robots with a precision she never knew she had. She was shooting like Up, not wasting charges, but still taking down robots left and right. Up was beside her, shooting even quicker but just as accurate. Their stand inspired the others, and soon all the Rangers not helping to get the data had joined the line, taking down as many robots as they could. Taz was laughing, a feral fire in her eyes as she finally got the revenge she wanted so badly. Up stood there, for the first time not only killing out of hate, but killing to protect the tiny yet tough son-of-a-bitch besides him, protecting the woman he loved. It seemed like hours before the data had been uploaded and the robots started to thin out. As the band of Rangers left, a few carrying the bodies of their companions, when Taz shouted out.

"Stop!" They all turned and looked at her. She inched around the corner, peering out, then quickly withdrawing. "Dere's an ambush. Too many for us to fight. We have to find a different way." They turned to look at a young technician who pulled out her rough blueprint of the ship.

"Without downloading the data, I can't see if there is a definite way back. I don't see any on the plans we had before." Everyone groaned, then clapped their hands over their mouths.

"Very well. I will have to distract them. I will take out some and divert deir attention, and while dey are distracted, jou finish dem off," Taz said grimly.

"What? No, Taz!" Up called out, but it was too late. Taz stepped around the corner and shouted out her battle cry before he could reach her.

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**Don't you just love cliffhangers? If you REVIEW then I will update faster. I'm sorry to go to such extreme measures, but come on guys.**


	12. Lieutenant

**I forgot to actually write about them setting up the explosives in the mainframe room, but they totally did that. And I got a few reviews! I should torture you more often, hehe. No I'll be nice, and truthfully I was posting two chapters a day, yet I only read new chapters of stories I've subscribed to after a couple days usually. Thanks once again to HopelessWish, definitivebliss, and the guest who reviewed.**

**I wish I did, I truly do, but I don't own Up, Taz, or Dr. Spaceclaw.**

* * *

Taz shot down robot after robot as streaks of bright light shot past her, a few skimming along her arms and abdomen, and one hitting her tibia. She cried out in pain and fury as one brushed against her patellar tendon on the other leg, causing her to fall to her knees, which only made it hurt worse. Her zapper was was set on kablam, the semi-explosive setting, so each shot took down multiple robots. The downside to this was that shrapnel blasted back, lodging in her flesh or cutting her skin. She was about to black out when the others rounded the corner, finishing off the remaining robots. Strong arms picked her up, and she saw his face, blurred by the fact her eyes were half closed, but strong as ever. Up. She lost consciousness, his face carrying on in her mind for a split second even after.

* * *

Up had tried to go after her before Jenna grabbed his arm.

"Wait. We have to make sure it's worth it. For her. And this group needs it's Commander." Her voice was kind but forceful, and he listened to her, waiting as long as Taz, and he himself, could stand it before giving the order to advance. Taz was severely injured, her arms, stomach and kneecap burned, her hair singed off again, and she had taken a direct hit to the lower leg. He scooped her up, and she barely had time to see she was saved before she slumped down in his arms, knocked out. They ran back to the Guerreroa, all ideas of stealth abandoned, barley making it back to the ship before triggering the explosions. The Guerreroa floated out into space, as it's stunned crew members stared at the wreckage of the ship they had been on moments ago. Up wasn't with them. He was already rushing Taz to the Intensive Care unit of the sickbay. He rushed in and the doctors and nurses dropped their cards in alarm. Upon seeing Taz, their poker game was forgotten.

"You should leave now," one of them told him.

"This girl is my best friend, I'm not leaving."

"We need to strip her down to assess the damage and extent of the wounds."

"What time can I come back and check in on her?"

"Come back in four hours, but we might turn you away if she needs to rest some more." Up nodded then left, walking back up to meet the rest of the crew. Quite a few were in the normal sickbay for non-serious wounds, and eleven members of the team lay still in the morgue, but the rest all turned to him as he came in.

"Taz?" asked Jenna. He could tell she was worried that she would be responsible for her friend's death, which she wouldn't be even if the unthinkable happened. She was just doing her job.

"Too early to tell," he said with a sigh. Jenna cursed.

"If she dies, it'll be my fault. I stopped you from helping her."

"No," he said it with so much conviction that she turned to look at him. "If you hadn't stopped me, I would be dead, she might be dead, and maybe even the whole crew would be dead. You did a good job, Ensign." Jenna just nodded, looking a little better but still worried.

"When can I visit her?"

"They said in four hours, but that she might still be sleeping."

"They chased you out?"

"They said they would have to strip her to search for all her wounds."

"Oh. I would not want to be one of those doctors then."

"Hopefully she forgives them seeing how they are the people who are saving her life." Neither of them said it, but both of them thought "If they even can save her life." Up started pacing and Jenna stared out the window, both of them thinking of their friend, praying to a dead god she was ok.

* * *

Taz felt a dull pain all over her body, but Up was there, comforting her, protecting her, just being there for her. She looked up into his eyes, the color of the beautiful lake they were swimming in, and he looked down into hers, and she saw the love she felt for him mirrored there. Then, slowly, tenderly, he leaned down, his lips about to meet hers... A bolt of pain briefly woke Taz from the dream she was having before she passed out again, this time without Up to comfort her. The doctors sweated above her. The shrapnel had buried itself deeply in multiple parts of her body and she was covered in laser burns in ranging degree of severity, from not a problem at all to the worrisome one on her leg, which had actually broken her tibia, and though the muscle was repairable, it was only just, and it would take a long time to heal. There were laser burns that weren't as bad but still needed to be bandaged or repaired, and quite a few would leave scars. It was looking more and more definite that she would live and there wouldn't be too much permanent damage other then the scars, but the doctors still worked with the utmost care. This girl was the Commander's best friend, and they had heard about her, and they knew that the G.L.E.E. needed more members like her. Besides, both she and Up could kick all their asses, so they felt like it was only smart to do the best possible job. They set her bones, stitched up wounds, and rubbed a cream onto the burns before finally sitting back two and a half hours later. They decided it would probably be a good idea to let her rest the remaining hour and a half before letting Up know she was fine. They wouldn't let him wake her anyway, but it was always good to be on the safe side.

* * *

Up was waiting in the common area with the rest of the team, all the surviving members except Taz were waiting there to see if she was alright, when he was informed that someone was video-phoning him. He got up, leaving the rest of the crew to glance after him anxiously before going to the video-phone room. He half expect it to be the doctors, hiding from telling him bad news face to face, so he was slightly surprised to see Dr. Spaceclaw and the screen.

"Sir," Up said, saluting.

"At ease, solider," Dr. Spaceclaw said in his deep, silky voice. It sounded ridiculous, like he was quoting a movie with no actual knowledge of the military. "Now, I've heard our friend Taz preformed well on this mission," he said. Up thought fiercely "Don't call her your friend. You don't care about her the way I do," but then that stupid voice in the back of his head whispered "Of course, you don't really think of her as a friend either." Dr. Spaceclaw continued. "Her doctors have assured me she will be fine, and when she wakes up, I want you to tell her she's being promoted to Lieutenant immediately." Up gaped not only at her promotion after her first mission, but also at the fact that the doctors told Spaceclaw about her condition before him. Up closed his mouth with a snap.

"Thank you Sir. I'll be sure to promote her right as she wakes up," Up said, saluting once more then half running to the common area.

"What is it?" asked Ben, his arm in a sling.

"Taz is fine and she's being promoted to Lieutenant." A mixture a of cheers and gasps filled the air. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to murder those doctors for telling HQ that she was fine before telling us," he called back, running towards the sickbay. Halfway there he met a redhead nurse with sparkly purple eyeshadow and fake eyelashes.

"Taz in gonna be fine!" she squeaked excitedly.

"I know. Dr. Spaceclaw told me!" he shouted back back, and her face fell. The doctors and nurses had gone back to their poker game by the time he reached them. His blood boiled at the sight of their calm demeanors. How dare they be so calm but let him stew in worry and despair that his friend might die! Didn't they get how important she was to him? They looked at his seething face in alarm.

"Is everything all right Commander?" asked the head doctor, starting to stand.

"No, not everything is dead-goddamned alright! You didn't tell me she was gonna be alright soon enough!" he said, slamming his fist on the table.

"We didn't want you to come down here. She needs her rest to regain her full physical capabilities," said the doctor, still calm.

"You could have told me that!"

"And you would have listened?" Up paused. "Well, he has me there," he thought sheepishly.

"Can the crew at least visit her now?"

"Yes, as long as no one wakes her, it should be fine now." Up went up to tell the crew when he got his brilliant idea. Everyone stood when he came back up.

"Well, do we still have any doctors left?" asked Phoebe, grinning despite the bandage on her her head and the fact she winced whenever she made any facial expression.

"Yeah, all of them. We're allowed to visit, as long as we don't wake her up. But I have an idea..." Everyone gathered round, smiling as he told them his plan.

* * *

Taz woke up in complete pain, lying an a thin mattress in a thin hospital gown, with Up snoring like an idiota in the chair next to her. She grumbled as she pulled on her clothes, new ones, she supposed her old ones were too burned and cut up to wear anymore. She stared at the giant cast on her leg, covered in the doodle and names of everyone on the ship, with a few video-phone and room numbers. She realized the pant had been cut so she could wear it even with the monstrosity on her leg. She pulled it on without really looking at it, before grabbing her crutches and hobbling out the door. Up heaved a sigh of relief. He had just been changing out her cloths when she woke up, and he had to pretend to be sleeping. He had slept in that chair, but he had woken up an hour before. Taz walked through the halls, getting cheery hellos from everyone. "Dey probably just don't realize I could kick deir sorry culos even with a cast," she thought. Something was still bothering her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Throughout her whole day it bothered her, eating, working out at the gym, reading, yet she couldn't figure out what. Finally, as she got ready for bed, she realized that everyone, even people she didn't know very well or higher ranking officers, had called her Taz, not Ensign. She turned to the mirror warily, taking in the Lieutenant dress uniform and pin. They were only used in ceremonies, such as being promoted to Lieutenant. She walked out of her room down the hall as calmly as she could, until she reached Up's room. She knocked, waiting patiently. He opened it, saw who it was, then tried to hide a smile unsuccessfully.

"Why, hello there Taz!"

"Up, was I promoted?"

"Why yes! And it only took you," he glanced at the clock, "eight hours and twenty-something minutes to figure it out." She glared at him as he bellowed "She finally figure it out guys!" Cheers rang out through the hall, spreading like an infectious disease until everyone on the ship was cheering except for Taz, who simply punched Up, informed him he was and idiota, and went to bed. When she was alone, she smiled none the less.

* * *

**Any ideas for the next mission or even just a funny scene? I'd love to hear them.**


	13. Drunk

**While I think about their next mission, if it's too early to put Taz in a dress (you all know I will, everyone does at some point), and if I want to go further with the new ship design theme, I've decided to just start writing a scene without planning it out. It could turn funny, sad, romantic, it might introduce new characters or have a glimpse of a crew-member of Starship 15-A2, it might start their next adventure, I have no idea. Here goes nothing...**

**You should know by now I don't own them, so stop rubbing it in, you're hurting my feelings.**

* * *

Taz stood as still and proud as an old statue of a long-forgotten warrior, whose sculpture still stood despite the fact no one could quite remember what he had done, and the plaque was now to faded to read. She had cut her hair short again, and Up had given her a red bandana as a promotion present, which she used to tie it back. She ran her hand through the choppy locks pensively, thinking about her best friend. The rest of the squad was going out for drinks later, but she wasn't sure if she was going to go. She could hold her liquor well, but when she got drunk, she got... unpredictable. One night she might tell stories about her childhood and reveal the part of her she alway hid from everyone but Up, one night she might sing, one night she might flirt, most nights she would fight. She could be just about any type of drunk there was, sometimes multiple types in one night. The one kind of drunk she would never be was one that cried, no matter if she was the saddest drunk in the world. Taz never showed tears to anyone, not even to Up. That was a weakness she couldn't indulge in. Up knocked on the door, softly.

"Taz, you coming?" He didn't know if he wanted her to come our not. He loved to see her have fun, but she was a handful when she got into fights and it made him uncomfortable when she got flirty. She always ended up regretting her actions when she got drunk, but she usually went anyway.

"Sí, I am coming." She had decided it last second, and she hoped it would be the right decision. She stepped out, dressed in what was becoming her signature style, a white tank top, cargo pants, a G.L.E.E. armband, and her bandana. Her ammo belt and knife were left in her room, though Up was fairly certain she still had a knife, it was just hidden. They joined up with other members of the squad, and Taz was surprised to see Jenna and Ben glance at each other when the other wasn't looking. Taz was fairly she in the presence of strong alcohol, their nervousness about telling each other their feelings would disappear. Taz mentally reminded herself to make sure she didn't do that with Up. There was only so much she could blame on alcohol, and even then everyone would simply say that the tequila was only making her act like she really wanted to act without the thoughts of what would happen if she did act on her impulses. She shook her head, and smiled internally. She was famous for not restraining herself and on acting on impulse at every turn. "If only they knew," she thought, slightly bitterly.

* * *

To her horror, there was a karaoke machine in the bar. A drunken Taz was a musical Taz, and though everyone claimed she was actually a great singer the one or two times she had sung, when she was very drunk, mind you, she doubted that she was actually very good and they just wanted her to sing more. She ordered a tequila, reminding herself to pace herself so she wouldn't make a culo out of herself, but she gulped it down anyway. As the night progressed, Up stood in the corner, buzzed but mostly sober, having to keep an eye on the crew. Jenna and Ben were making out in the corner, one Ensign had passed out and was currently being drawn on in his helpless state, and a heavily drunk Taz was hitting on and equally drunk Ensign. Up wished he could look away and ignore it, but he had a feeling it was about to get ugly. Not that he could do anything to prevent it without more whispers and rumors about his jealousy getting out. Never the less, he listened in to the loud conversation.

"Jou're so... súpermegaastutoimpresionante caliente," she giggled. The Ensign obviously had no idea what it meant but looked pleased. Up, who had learned Spanish after meeting Taz, looked baffled. Had he heard wrong or had she just called that stupid Ensign supermegafoxyawesomehot? She giggled some more before falling to the ground, grabbing his shirt and pulling him with her. She laughed with him, even as her bottle of tequila smashed open and the spirits ran over the floor.

"Sit up, bitch," he growled at her while attempting to kiss her roughly, and her laughter stopped like it had been shot dead by robots.

"What did jou just call me?" she hissed at him, rage painting her face red and contorting her beautiful features into a terrifying mask. The Ensign whimpered stupidly. She immediately began pummeling him to a pulp, which Up stopped a few seconds later then he could have if he was really trying. She struggled like a fish on a line before turned around, punching him in the face before she saw who it was. When she saw it was Up, all the fight went out of her body, and she slumped over. Up instructed everyone it was time to go home, hoisting his Lieutenant over his shoulder as he paid the extravagant bill. The drunken crew staggered back to the Starship, stumbling over potholes and running into trees. If any robots attacked, they would be the easiest targets in the world. Everyone lurched back to their rooms, and Up brought Taz back to hers. He was planning on leaving right away, expecting her to be too drunk to have nightmares. If she could think that stupid Ensign was super-mega-hot or whatever, then she was too drunk too dream, right? He was shocked when her voice stopped him.

"Up, don't go," she mumbled. "Come back." He came back. "I'm sorry Up. I shouldn't have hit jou. I shouldn't have been acting dat way with dat Ensign at all because... because... Well, jou see Up, I..." Her words raced each other out of her mouth before she was cut short by the sounds of chaos and confusion. Robots. Robots were attacking the town and this was the only Starship, and it was full of drunk ass Rangers about to pass out. Taz and Up looked at each other, drunken confessions forgotten, then they raced to the sound of death.

* * *

Taz swayed after Up, still unsteady on her feet. She was feeling sobered up now that battle was imminent. What she been thinking? She was seconds away from telling Up her feelings for him. Though she never once wished a robot attack to happen, if one had to happen, that was an opportune time. Then again, maybe not, considering only twenty or so Rangers were on their feet, and they were all teetering and unsteady, and more likely a danger to themselves then the robots. Up ran up to a panel on the wall, pressing buttons until he triggered the sprinkler systems, a constant heavy mist of water waking up the drunken Rangers at least partially. Now in sodden clothes the Rangers reached the scene of the attack, to see a force of fifty robots destroying the town, Taz raised her zapper, clumsily shooting down a slow-moving one, using nine charges. She couldn't help but see, in her half-drunken state, that the water made Up's shirt cling to his muscles, and that his biceps were really enormous. She shook herself, spraying water like a dog, before going back to taking sloppy shots at the robots.

* * *

Up was swearing at robots, alcohol, and bad timing. If only the others could shoot straight or figure out how to get out of their rooms. "Then again, alcohol had made Taz start to say the beginning of something that sounded like it might be very interesting," said the little voice in of his head. "Seriously? I'm trying to fight here," he snapped at the little voice, which subsided as he went back to shooting down robots, glad he hadn't drank very much. He heard Taz yell her battle cry, and as she finally shot down her third robot, he realized just how tight and see-through her white tank top was, though he immediately pushed the thought out of his mind. That wasn't gonna work, thinking about that, about her, on the battle field, especially since he was the only one who could shoot straight. Slowly but surely, the robots were being shot down, lying in smoking heaps on the ground. "We're gonna be ok," thought Up, relief sweeping through his body, when a new force flew in, fifteen in all and all heading towards him. He gravely lifted his zapper, taking down as many as possible. He saw Taz, her back turned as she clumsily shot down another robot. She wouldn't notice until it was too late. Up knew they were coming for him, to torture him until he gave up the secrets of the G.L.E.E. or died. He knew that he would never get to tell Taz what he really felt about, would never get to kiss her, would never even get to see her again. The robots grabbed him, and though he had shot seven, they were still more than enough to take him. He shot down more as they got nearer, and when they grabbed him, they didn't disarm him for a few seconds, and he took down one last robot before his zapper was knocked out of his hands and he was lifted off the ground. Taz turned just in time to see him being carried off by the four remaining robots that he hadn't killed.

"Up!" she screamed after him. He waved weakly, seeing her run after him, knowing she could never catch up.

"Goodbye, Taz," he whispered.

* * *

**Another cliffhanger! Hate me if you will, but I thought that was pretty good for off the top off my head. I didn't even think of the robot idea until they were all staggering back home, I thought I would just put in cheesy bonding moment, but Up being captured is way more interesting. And did you guys see how close Taz was to admitting her feelings? Juicy stuff guys, juicy stuff.**


	14. Rescue

**Guess who just started reading Romeo and Juliet for English class! Don't worry, I won't break out into iambic-pentameter or give Taz and Up suicidal thoughts... yet. Well, considering the fact Up is about to be tortured, I actually can't promise that. Then again, I promised no more cliffhangers, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. In fact, I'm fairly certain Up will have suicidal thought while being tortured...**

**Why, would I like to buy Taz and Up? Yes, yes I would love to, Team Starkid. And I can join your group despite my sucky acting? Awesome. Oh wait. It was all a cruel dream.**

* * *

Taz stood in disbelief, waiting to wake up from her nightmare. There was no way in hell Up had been taken, no way in hell he was gone. No way in hell he had left her. But that wasn't right, he hadn't failed her, she had failed him. She had gotten drunk, made a fool of herself, hit him, then she didn't watch his back in battle. That was her job. They were the famous duo, protecting each other, watching out for each other, and all she had done tonight was let him down, and because of that, he might pay with his life... No! She couldn't think like that. She had to save him, to make it up to him. She had to see him again, and let him know how she really felt! The last of the robots lay dead, and so she grabbed the rest of the crew, hauling up the bodies of the dead and injured, getting them on the ship before finding the backup pilot, who was sleeping in the corner of the room. She slapped him awake, and he glared at her, still put out about not being able to drink, just in case.

"De Commander has been taken by robots. Follow dem," she told him shortly as he jumped up, looking at the radar and turning on the ship. She squished over to the loudspeaker microphone, the carpet was still sopping from the sprinklers, and Taz briefly wondered my they had put carpet in this room, before pressing a button to signal a rescue mission. She turned on the microphone, yelling at the top of her lungs "All right people, jou heard it. Dis is a rescue mission. Get jour zappers, set dem to pew!" She ran down the hall, helping to put the injured in the sickbay as most of the Rangers woke up and helped. Taz distracted herself from Up by torturing any of the Ensigns stupid enough to not get up. Soon, they were all awake, most hungover and a few still drunk. The doctors handed out the anti-hangover pills that were only supposed to be used in dire situations, like this one. Taz paced around, never stopping moving now that she was fully sober.

"What's up with Taz?" muttered one Ensign to another.

"Up got taken," Jenna whispered back.

"Oh. I guess being broken-hearted does stuff to the toughest of us." Taz was about to show him just how broken-hearted she was, but Jenna gave him a chance to back down.

"I think anyone would be distraught if they lost their best friend." The Ensign didn't notice her subtle gestures and body language, which were clearly telling him to stop.

"Ha, if you think that taz and Up are just frien..." he was stopped short by Taz's knife scrapping across his face and quivering in the wall next to his head. It had actually left a shallow cut on his cheek, which bleed through his fingers as he pressed them to his cheek in shock.

"Enough talk. Commander Up has been captured by de robots, and if we don't save him, he will die because he would never betray de G.L.E.E. So, we are following de robots to deir base, and once we see it, we will plan our attack and save him. Any questions?"

"Do we have any idea what we're up against?"

"Dey have numbers, and de robots dat some of us fought," she glared accusingly at those who had slept instead, "were D4QP models, so they were slow, flying, had basic zappers and can shoot cables to tangle or catch jou. We don't know if dere are other models at deir base, how many, or how big de base is. We do don't have any floor plans, and don't know where dey are holding de Commander." She had almost said Up. "Dat would be just what I need, a bunch of estupido Ensigns whispering about Up and I while I try to save him," she thought. "Any more questions?" she asked. Everyone shook their head and looked queasy, despite the fact they were no longer hungover. When she walked out of the room, the Ensigns started to whisper immediately.

"Woah, she is crazy."

"Crazy in love, maybe. Taz may be a hothead, but she's not one to put us on a death mission without telling the authorities. But now that Up has gotten himself captured..."

"Which he wouldn't have if you were there helping!"

"Don't blame me, I didn't invent the robots!"

"Anyway, Taz is so in love with him, it's obvious."

"Really? I don't see her look in love when she's with him."

"But she's with him all the time, usually not around us, so we don't see how she looks at him all the time. Besides, we all know how good she is at hiding her feelings."

"Not tonight."

"Exactly, Up goes missing and she becomes a wreck."

"I'm still not sure."

"Just think about it. He saved her life, they were bunk buddies once, he tutored her in fighting and calculus, they have movie nights every week, and they are basically inseparable. Maybe they are just too scared to act on them, but they totally have feelings for each other."

"Too scared, or too smart? They're different ranks and that's not allowed."

"Probably both."

"Come on guys, they are best friends," argued Jenna

"It's possible to be in love with your best friend," said Ben, and Jenna immediately blushed and went quiet.

"Anyway, they'll probably kiss when we rescue him and they think no one's looking."

"Wanna bet?" Soon, most the Ensigns placed money on if they would kiss or not. A few people claimed to not want to be murdered by Taz, that it was wrong, that they didn't like each other that way, or that if they were gonna kiss, they would make sure no one was watching. Finally, the Ensigns lapsed into silence thinking about what was to come when they reached the robot base.

* * *

Taz sat in Up's room, staring blankly at the TV. Had it really been one, she glanced at the clock, no, two nights ago that she had watched the Karate Kid with Up last? It was painful to be in that room, full of memories and that ocean-like smell of his. She saw little stories in most the dings, scratches, and stains in the room, left by her or him when she was over. The grease spot on the ceiling of the kitchen was when she had tried to teach him to make tortillas, the dent in the wall by the couch left by her one day after a stupid Ensign had annoyed her over and over but she promised Up that she wouldn't punch him. There were so many stories, invisible to everyone but her and Up. She had never been in his room alone, and decided that this was her only chance to search it before he got back. She looked it the cupboards, filled with only the bare necessities for cooking a simple meal, the drawers work clothes and a few tank tops, his formal clothes hanging in the closet. Next to his bed were pictures, which she had never noticed. One was of his family before they were killed by the robots, he was fourteen at the time, and the other... Taz gasped at the other picture. It was of her, but that wasn't what was surprising. What was surprising was that she didn't recognize when it had been taken. It wasn't the picture taken when she graduated or was promoted, because she was in her normal clothes. And she was smiling, ear to ear, and there was a look in her eye, a look that she knew was love, hidden deep down, but she could see it if she looked close enough. She wondered if Up had ever seen it. And if he had and kept the picture anyway... No. He must not have seen it. She backed out of the room, turning and running to her own, her heart full of dread for what was happening to the man she loved.

* * *

Up screamed in agony. He had only been in the torture chamber for fifteen minutes and he wished that he was dead. They had dunked him in water then electrocuted him, something about feeling how robots felt, electricity being his doom doubly, he hadn't really been listening. At first, he had thought of Taz and how he had to live for her, but as the pain stripped away his optimism, he began to doubt even that. "What does it matter if I live. If I do, I'll just be tortured by Taz. Every time I look at her, I get these pains in my chest, and I just know it's her fault, that bitch," he thought, before breaking through the haze of pain. "What am I thinking? Taz has saved my life, and given it meaning. I might as well die without her, how empty my life would become. She is the reason I have to live, not die, because if she cares for me at all, even as her friend, my death would bring her pain." He had often thought it would be fun to fake his own death then watch people cry at the funeral, but that was before his family died, and now, thinking about the pain it would cause Taz, the very thought was appalling. "Maybe then you would see how she really feels about you, though," said the little voice. "Oh my god stop talking to me! Don't you even shut up when I'm being tortured?" He stopped thinking as the next wave of pain crashed over him, dragging him down into a world of torment, drowning him in anguish. They would wait until he dropped his guard for each shock, causing him to bunch up his muscles until they stiffened and the exertion and inability to relax sapped his strength. The robots seemed to be beginning realize that they couldn't break him with physical pain, but he knew robots didn't understand love. The only thing that could break him would be them torturing Taz, and then he would probably just spout lies. They had warned him they had advanced lie detection sensors, and so they could tell, so if they somehow caught Taz he would have to kill himself and pray to a dead god that there was an afterlife where he could finally tell Taz how he felt. Hi muscles contorted as another surge of agony coursed through his body, causing him to black out into a world of misery. The robots took him down, placing him of a sleek chrome table taken from a sickbay of a starship. They hooked him up to an IV and waited for him to wake up. When he did, he was disoriented, and he blinked at their cold faces blankly before remembering where he was and fighting against his bonds. They laughed the same laugh he had heard them use when they tied Taz up in that tree.

"Do nOt eVAn try, punY hu-man," one said. "We HaVe hOoked you uP to an IV FuLl of halLUCinOgeNic pOIson. You WiLl tEll us yOur SeCreTs afTer ThiS." It's tone rose and fell in unnatural places, causing it to be hard to understand. Despite this, Up's blood ran cold at their words, or was it the poison making his blood feel cold? "Yep, definitely the poison," he thought before he went into a trance. He saw Taz. She was everywhere, in a mixture of his hopes and desires, and also his fears and worries. She was kissing him, turning him away, laughing with him, and screaming as the robots tortured her until she was a slab of raw meat. She was displaying her full set of emotions, everyone he had seen or imagined, yet Up was still shocked when she filled his vision, cry silently. She even looked as tough as someone possibly could when crying at the beginning, but she slowly let her walls down, and soon she looked so vulnerable, so open, he felt like he could see her entire soul. And she loved him. He could see it clear as day when he looked into those eyes, the fiery determination still there beyond the tears, and he felt a sense of wonder and love fill him. He reached towards her, about to kiss her, and he knew she was going to kiss him back, when she screamed and slumped forward, the most terrible sounds of ultimate suffering pouring from her lips, the ones that had hovered by his seconds before. He shouted her name, over and over, when the sounds of chaos began to break through his drug-induced grief. Then he heard a voice he heard so often accompanied by the sounds of chaos, her voice. He struggled to open his eyes, just barely breaking the grip of the poison, and he saw her. He saw her fighting, really fighting, for the first time. He had seen her in the ring, and with dummies, but in real fights they went back to back or faced different directions. Now, he saw those fiery eyes as she fought, shooting down the robots with an intensity he felt jealous of for a split second. Then he smiled. If Taz directed that intensity at him, he would be dead. All of a sudden, his eyes met hers, and she ran over to him. He thought of the love he had seen in her when she had been crying in his hallucination, and told himself that it must have just been there to make her death more cruel. But, for some reason, he was having trouble believing it. Taz helped him up, and despite the fact he was nearly twice her size, he leaned on her for support. She lead the other Rangers out, one Ensign signaling that they had got him. As they stumbled back to the starship, this time because of injuries instead of being were drunk, Taz thought about how she had promised herself she would tell him how she felt, but after almost losing him once, she couldn't bear the thought of losing him again, so she kept quiet. Up had said he would tell her, but hadn't she been through enough? She couldn't deal with that right now. He held his tongue. Both made excuses all the way back to the starship, never even thinking that the person next to them was having the same dilemma.

* * *

**Review if you caught the Princess Bride reference, and review if you didn't also. I'm a little evil, aren't I? I keep messing with Taz and Up whenever they are about to admit their feelings, and I keep giving you guys cliffhangers. Review if you want me to stop doing that, or if you like cliffhangers, review and tell me. To sum that up: Review.**


	15. Stranded

**I don't own Taz or Up. I just own this computer, so there. And thanks once again to my oldest friend HopelessWish, for giving me the idea of the mission and letting me copy her just a bit.**

* * *

Taz sat in the office patiently while her superiors ranted about her unauthorized rescue mission, her insubordination, and her reckless disregard of the lives of her team. The one thing that really made her listen was the threats to separate her and Up. Even that was better then an agonizing death by torture. He had seemed pretty shaken up when they got him back, even after his physical damage had started to heal. The doctors said he was full of a drug that would cause him to hallucinate the most beautiful and terrible things he could ever think of, no matter how deep in his subconscious it was. Taz couldn't help but wonder what he had seen, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to be in it or not. If she was, did that men he cared about her, maybe even loved her? But it would also mean she caused him pain. She knew one would leave the other, but it was more likely with their lives, leading dangerous missions in the war, that they would die in one final battle together. She hoped she would be able to tell him how she felt before that day came. After a ton of threats and warnings, they realized her back to the ship, and didn't separate her from Up, so it was all fine.

* * *

Since they were being punished, the crew had to do every boring and unimportant job that the G.L.E.E. could think of for months. On night, when Up was working out in the gym, Taz came in and threw herself on a wrestling mat, groaning softly. He went over to her to see what was wrong, to find her banging her head against the floor. He was briefly reminded of teaching her calculus, and he smiled a little.

"What's wrong, Taz?"

"All of dese missions are estupido! Dey are wasting our talent!"

"I know Taz. No one even died, and even though the base was huge, there weren't even that many robots." Taz didn't say it, but they had had no idea how many robots they would be facing, and she had considered the fact she might die briefly before hand, but that she knew she would be in constant pain without him, ten times worse then it was for her already, and that dying would be preferable to that. "Maybe if you had just left me..." Up started in a joking tone.

"No! Don't even joke about dat!" Taz shouted with enough intensity that it made him turn and look at her. Their eyes met, and they stared at each other for several awkwardly charged seconds before Up cleared his throat.

"The, uh, the jobs really do suck, though. I feel so useless doing them."

"Jou know what make make jou feel better? If we went back to jour room and watched the Karate Kid." And that is exactly what they did, the familiarity relaxing them as they sat on his couch together, forgetting their worries through Jackie Chan.

* * *

The next day, the ship was scouting an uninhabited planet, the most interesting job they had had in a month despite then fact nothing was on it. Taz kicked a rock, watching it roll along the charred surface of the planet. Taz was fine with being around robots, so long as she had her zapper, but seeing the aftermath of an attack made her remember her birthday, and the bodies of everyone she knew littered around the burnt earth. She could nearly hear the robots lasers. No, she really could. She lifted her head and shouted out. Everyone looked at her.

"Robots!" Everyone ran back to the pod. They needed to tell the base. If there were robots here, the loosely guarded stronghold nearby wouldn't hold up for very long. The robots appeared, glinting silver in the sun. Taz shot a few, but mostly missed since she was running. the robots were slowly gaining on them, and Taz was filled with dread as she knew what she must do. "Ok idiotas, throw me jour zappers. When jou get to de drop-pod, leave and tell de base. I will fight dem off, and jou can come back for me and whoever else doesn't catch up in time." Up started to protest, but she cut him off. "It is de only way," she said shortly. The first people were reaching the drop-pod, pulling in whoever they could reach, but when the lasers started to blast it's side, Taz shouted for them to leave. Then she was alone, with a pile of zappers and no real chance of survival. She jumped as a human voice spoke.

"Well, at least me stuck together," Up said, sounding half hearted.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Taz said truthfully, hefting up a gun and aiming.

* * *

For most people, twenty plus robots would have been too much to handle. For Taz and up, a brief and graphic fight ensued, and soon the two legends were surrounded by hunks of smoking metal. Taz was angry though.

"Shouldn't dose idoitas be back by know?" she complained. She hadn't anticipated waiting, mostly because she thought she would be dead, but if they were going to be stranded here, there was nothing to build a shelter with or start a fire with, and this planet was supposed to get unnaturally cold at night. Taz hated the cold, she was used to warmth from her childhood in Mexico.

"They're probably having problems with the bureaucrats. You know how they get. Or maybe the battle has started already," Up offered.

"And we're missing it," mumbled Taz gloomily.

* * *

Three hours later, countless sparring matches and a short lived game of truth or dare, the starship still hadn't come back. Taz was pacing while Up stared at the sunset, looking worried instead of awed at the beauty. In their clothes, the night would be bitter cold, dangerous even. Taz was shivering despite the fact the bite in the air was still bearable. Her tiny body couldn't take the chill. She was moving to keep her blood flowing, but her muscles, unused to the cold, were complaining. Finally, she threw herself down next to Up with several muttered curses.

"We lived through de robots just to freeze to death?" she said.

"We aren't frozen yet."

"We will be soon if they don't come back to get us."

"We could always huddle for warmth." Was it's Up's imagination, or did she blush slightly?

"I do not cuddle."

"Not cuddle, huddle."

"Is dere a difference?"

"Huddling is completely for survival, and it's more leaning up against each other then hugging, whereas cuddling is romantic and hug-y."

"I'm not convinced," she said at last.

"Well, your tough image won't survive you well one you've died of frostbite." She jokingly paused before leaning up against him.

"Sí, jou are right."

"Dead-God, Taz, you're that cold?" Up exclaimed, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. Both tried not too think about that this was half of Up's definition of cuddling, but neither succeeded. As exhaustion from fighting robots, the cold, and their stubborn feelings won out, they fell asleep, still in each other's arms.

* * *

Up woke up, amazed that he was holding Taz in his arms, and that she looked so peaceful. She looked you when she slept, no older then sixteen, when she was in fact twenty. She always looked younger because of her size, but she never looked so innocent. Up allowed himself a few minutes to think about what it would be like waking up with her in his arms every morning, before reminding himself that Taz usually got up before him anyway. He placed her carefully on his balled up jacket us he started to get up. It was just then, when they were still very close, with Taz lying down and Up right next to her stretching, that the starship landed. The Ensigns whispered when they saw Taz and Up. Taz woke up when the drop-pod got close enough to hear, and she was scowling at the Ensigns inside.

"What took jou guys so long? Stop to go sight seeing?"

"No, there was a minor attack on the base, but we warned them before hand, so it was ok. And this idiot bureaucrat named Junior wouldn't leet us do anything. He's even on the ship now to make sure we do everything according to G.L.E.E. standards." The group lapsed into silence as Taz balled her fists.

"So you and Up were doing what, exactly?" asked an Ensign who was either very stupid or very brave.

"Huddling for warmth," Taz mumbled darkly, and the Ensign smiled. On board the starship, a handsome young man with defined cheekbones smiled at her.

"Hi, I'm Junior, maybe you've heard of me," he said, extending a hand. Taz punched him instead.

"That was for making me and Up almost freeze to death on that dead-Godforsaken rock!" she shouted. Junior, glared at her angrily. He would make her pay for that one day. For now, Taz was just happy to be back on a ship with a heater.


	16. Separation

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I lost inspiration. Also, sorry for the sloppy writing on the last chapter, I was tired and had already started to lose inspiration. Thanks to HopelessWish for advice and Blazestar175 for the beautiful review of my first chapter, here's a belated hello to you! I'm starting to near the end, so tell me any scenes, missions or ideas that you want me to include, I'll try to fit anything NOT CREEPY in. I pride myself on my complete lack of creepiness in writing these, and I vowed to myself to stop writing this if I do write something disturbing, and we wouldn't want that, now would we? Also, review if you catch the Romeo and Juliet reference, or if you don't and want to know what it is.**

**Taz and Up, I know you want to be with me forever and ever (if I keep procrastinating we would at least hang out forever and ever), but you belong the the beautiful, the powerful, the terrible Overq... Starkids.**

* * *

Taz smiled smugly. The Ambassador was praising her and Up for saving the base, risking their own lives greatly in doing so, and apologizing for Junior. She was about to get up, preparing for a normal night of working out and watching the Karate Kid with Up, when the Ambassador continued speaking.

"You two obviously make a great team, but since you are both great Rangers individually, and we are short handed with so many Rangers fighting on Earth, we have to split you up for a few missions, to spread your talent around. We can't have one Starship succeeding but leave the other ones drowning in a sea of ineptitude," she said apologetically. Taz knew that the dig at the other ships was supposed to make her feel better, but it did the opposite. The inferior quality of her new crew didn't matter, though, not then. Then, all that mattered was that she and Up were going to be separated. The Ambassador herded them out quickly, with many apologies, wanting to keep Taz from destroying her office. Taz was to stunned to destroy anything. Separate her and Up? Who was the idiota who thought that was a good idea? They were a team. They needed each other. "No, I need him," she thought as the realization hit her. "He does not need me. He did not before we met, he didn't for the few months when my leg healed after my first mission." A new wave of anxiety washed over her as she realized that she wouldn't spend her birthday with him. Every birthday, she would get incredibly drunk and lock herself in her room, smashing everything she could until Up broke in and calmed her down, and he would stay on her couch that night to help with the nightmares. Now, without him there to stop her, she would destroy everything she owned, and her nightmares would rage, uncontrolled. She would have no one to confide in, work out with, or watch the Karate Kid with. She had the feeling the next few months of her life were either going to be hellish or boring, perhaps both, and that either way, she was going to be exceedingly lonely.

* * *

Up wanted to punch whoever decided to separate him and Taz. The last time he had been separated, when she had that broken leg, he had been a wreck. Oh, he had concealed it well, kept on a mask of calm and determination, but when no one was around, and he could let the mask slip, and he had looked so broken and lost in the mirror. He'd been furious with her then, for just a second, for making him need her, just as he'd been furious at her when he was being tortured. If Taz wasn't still with him, he would have laughed. The next few months would literally be like torture for him.

* * *

Taz and Up worked out in the gym, side by side, more quiet then normal. Taz didn't call out her war cry, and her eyes burned with an intensity usually only used when she was looking at rampaging robots. Up was taking in the sight of her out of the corner of his eye, trying to absorb every detail of her so he would have memories of her to comfort him. Taz was looking at Up at every chance she got. She knew that she would only miss him more if she tried to remember him all the time, but she couldn't help it. She was midway through punching the dummy she was beating when she realized that Up was watching her. They had looked at each other at the same time, and were awkwardly making eye contact while facing mostly sideways. They both froze, Up's dummy still swinging from the force of his blow, the creaking of the rusty chain that fastened it to the ceiling the only noise in the gym. Taz turned toward him slightly, slowly, almost shyly. After what seemed like minutes, they were directly facing each other, eyes still locked. Taz was glad that the gym was empty. She could imagine what people would say if someone saw them staring into each other's eyes. She shook her head to clear her thought, breaking their eye contact, their trance. Up stepped back slightly, clearing his throat awkwardly, looking to the right, which he regretted since there was only a blank wall on that side of the room. They went back to working out in silence, though this time the silence was less tense and angry and more thoughtful, as they both pondered why the other was looking at them, and making excuses about why it couldn't be for the reason they wanted, both chastising themselves for even thinking about thinking about it like that, both telling themselves not to get there hopes up about something that obviously wasn't true and never would be.

* * *

That night, they went to Up's room and turned on the Karate Kid. Taz made sure to turn the volume down a few clicks, smiling as she remembered the time that a few curious and stupid ensigns had bust into Up's room to investigate the grunting noises from within, only to find Up and Taz on the couch, watching the Karate Kid. They had found the source of the noises, not Up and Taz as they had hoped, but a fighting scene in the movie. Since the ensigns had actually prevented more rumors about them, they were out of the infirmary in less the a month. Up had teased her about being merciful. The smile died when she remembered that she wouldn't hear that teasing for months. There were a handful of thoughts she had managed to push away, but they rushed at her now. What she and Up do so well separated they were never put on the same starship again? What if Up ended up being happier without her? And the worst, what if Up died, and she wasn't there with him, or even worse then that, he died because she wasn't there with him? What if after tomorrow, she never saw him again? She had frozen in the middle of the room when thinking, and Up approached her tentatively

"Taz, what's wrong?" he asked as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong? Are jou serious? We are being separated! What if one of us dies? What if I never see jou again?" she shouted, turning away. "What if it's my fault jou die because I'm not there for jou?" she whispered, facing away from him, unable to tell where he was without his hand on her shoulder. He might as well have been already gone. Up carefully debated his reply. His first instinct was to say something lighthearted about how hard it would be to kill him, but he decided that this was not the time for that.

"Taz, if I ever die, no matter how, it won't be your fault. It will be the fault of the robot, or whoever separated us, not you. Never think that, and no matter what happens, however unlikely, don't blame yourself. I don't want to cause you pain, and I'd like to think that my death would bring you enough pain by itself without misguided guilt." She turned around and looked at him, and was it just his imagination or were there tears in her eyes.

"Of course your death would cause me pain. It would be like my Quinceañera all over again." Up didn't know how to feel about that. He was rather touched that his death would compare to the deaths of everyone she knew combined, but it also made him strangely sad. They were staring into each other's eyes again, and this time it was Up who broke the trance, clapping his hands together lamely before picking up the remote.

"TIme to start the movie!" he exclaimed, and they sat on the couch, Taz curling up next to him, leaning against him. She would miss this, him supporting both literally and figuratively. The movie ended, but Taz couldn't make herself go. Instead, she and Up sat on the couch, talking about nothing and everything, other then their feelings about each other of course. By the time they were done talking, the sun had just began to rise. The speaker crackled to life.

"All personal of the Lark report. You board in ten minutes," the scratchy voice of a tired ensign announced.

"Mierda, I'm on de Lark. Dey weren't kidding when dey said sunrise. I'll go now, so no one sees dat I was here with jou," Taz said, slipping out into the hallway, sneaking down a few rooms to reach her own. She was flying away fifteen minutes later, staring sadly down at where she knew Up would be standing, wishing she had said a proper goodbye.

* * *

**Expect updates to be randomly spaced, either very frequently or with month periods in between. Remember to send your ideas for solo missions for Taz and Up, scenes you want, wether you make them up or ones I've hinted at (e.g. the short-lived game of truth or dare of last chapter) and if you caught the Romeo and Juliet reference. I like all reviews (except the ones that dis me) so send any thoughts you have my way.**


	17. Birthday

**I realize I've been focusing a ton on romance lately, and since I prefer stories where romance comes second to action, I'm going to balance their angst with mass-robot-murder-death. And a million thanks to They Were Smiley Smiles for helping me write this chapter. And sorry this took so long. I got obsessed with The Walking Dead fics (best show EVER) and then I had to prepare for the glory known as AVPSY!**

**Taz and Up, I love you both, but you can't live here. We don't have enough room in my house, and you don't even belong to me. Neither does Krayonder, who's names Taz knew in Starship, so it is possible she had worked with him before, so it's totally cool for me to put him in this chapter.**

* * *

Taz had wondered about one comment the Ambassador had made as she pushed them out.

"I think it's stupid to separate you, so I did my best to make it so it wouldn't happen again." Now, as Taz looked at her packet on the Lark, she understood. This was a diplomatic meeting. At first, Taz thought it had been a cruel prank, putting her in a situation she could barely stand with Up, but then she realized the Ambassador had done it to insure that things would go wrong, and it would be obvious that she and Up couldn't be separated again. She wondered what kind of mission Up would fail. He could actually swallow diplomacy and peace talks, and she was the only person who could come close to his level in fighting. If they gave him a boring job, they couldn't say they were using his talents. Maybe the Ambassador just expected her to be bad enough for the both of them, and if that's what it took, the Taz was going to be dead-goddamned unbearable.

* * *

Up had went to see the Ambassador as soon as Taz had gone. They were friends, and seeing how she was the Commander who gave Taz the recommendation to join back when she was still a Commander, she also felt a connection to Taz.

"I put you on missions that will go bad but aren't important enough to really make a difference. Really, they're just tests made by the higher-ups to see how well you two work when separated. They really shouldn't have let me pick the missions," she said with a smug little grin.

"What did you put us on?"

"Taz, a boring diplomatic mission with infamously long-winded spokespeople."

"Oh no. Her poor crew mates."

"You were harder, but I did my best to make it hellish. A peace talk, with an ensign named Marisa Dawes on board."

"Marisa."

"Yep."

"Marisa the airhead that I said I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole."

"I'm afraid so."

"She's on this Starship."

"I'm afraid so."

"Does she still want to hit on me?"

"Oh, Up, you're so innocent. She wants way more then that." Up closed his eyes and and groaned.

"I know! There is no way that you'll ever be separated again after these missions!" she said, smiling maliciously at her friend.

"You know, you could have just told me to bomb the mission. You knew I probably would anyway, and you knew I would come speak to you. You did schedule Taz's ship to leave before mine so we could talk."

"Well, I had to make sure it was realistic, didn't I?"

"Did you have to schedule it for this time? You know it's going to fall on Taz's birthday, and that's just cruel." Her eyes softened and she stopped smiling.

"I didn't have control over the time. I asked them to push it back, after her birthday, but they said they had to monitor her at her worst and best, and that it would end up being a good thing. They don't know her. I guess all we can do is hope the ship has good locks and that the Commander reads the whole packet on Taz I sent him. It will tell him about her birthday and how it's best to give her space then."

"Did you chose a good Commander who will listen or a bad one who will provoke her to do badly further?"

"A good one, who will listen, and who also thinks it's stupid to separate you. He agreed to my plan. I can't say the same about the Commander working on the sister ship with you."

"That's for the best, I suppose." He had left her office soon after, unsure about what to do without Taz there. He had no crew to check on, no one to spar with, and working out or watching a movie alone didn't sound appealing. What did he do for fun before he met Taz? It had been five years, six years that month, since he had met her, and all he remembered from before is a omnipresent sense of loneliness. That was back before he had anything to care about, and it seemed like someone else's life. As cliché as it sounded, he couldn't remember life without her. Oh, he remembered the horrors he had seen in battles, and every disturbing sight that had ever haunted him, but he couldn't remember day-to-day life, and very few good memories, all of which didn't compare in happiness to the good memories he had now. After wandering aimlessly for fifteen minutes, he ended up reading in his room, but he couldn't get into the story, he could only think about Taz. He put down his book, deciding that an action-adventure book wasn't what he needed, and crossed over to the bookshelf, finding the most whiny, emo, and tragic book he could. He opened up to the first page: Two households both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene...

* * *

Taz was surrounded by idiots. She was thankful for her self control, because if it wasn't there, then the crew of her new Starship sure as hell wouldn't be. She locked herself in her room at every chance, but that didn't totally block out human interaction. She still had to eat, since she refused to become whiny and helpless without Up. She decided to become unbearable the other way, becoming sullen and argumentative, sending at least one Ensign to the infirmary a day, and usually a few more than one. She also had to train to stay fit so she had to go to the gym, and one Lieutenant-Commander was trying to make it necessary to spend half-an-hour mingling with the crew to promote "bonds of brotherhood" and "closeness to each other that would help in battle." Taz had sorted at this and thought "Sí, so we can be heroes and get ourselves killed for each other." Then she realized that that was the reason she couldn't be with Up, and had decided to try the mingling time out. It had ended within ten minutes, and seven Ensigns had been put in the infirmary, two of which had to be rushed to intensive care. The main objective of mission the hadn't even started, and more Ensigns had been put in the infirmary than in any of Taz and Up's missions when they were fighting the robots. At first, the murderous urges had been part of her plan to show how unbearable she would be without Up, but soon she didn't need to act. One Ensign named Krayonder was particularly bad. He made stupid comments, was to loud, and shouted "Woah!" at every chance he got. She had sent him to the infirmary twice, and he still continued to be unbearable. She tried to ignore him, but his voice carried, and she had taken to leaving her knife in her room just in case she was to powerless to resist her temptations to shut that voice up at all costs. She may have had incredible self-control under her disguise of recklessness, but she was beginning to think that resisting telling Up how she felt when she was incredibly drunk was child's play compared to not killing her crew mates. She felt that she really would be reckless if they ran into any robots on this mission. Taz had become a disciplined fighter after so many years with Up, and these idiots were stripping away nearly six years of training in a few weeks. She didn't know how to vent her fury and murderous feelings since everyone was to afraid to fight her, she couldn't kill anyone, she didn't have Up to complain to, and she wouldn't even be fighting any robots on her mission. Apparently both sides of the diplomatic parties were long-winded and took offense very easily. Taz couldn't even guess how the Ambassador had gotten the higher-ups to believe she was a good candidate for this mission. It probably had something to do with the fact the already knew she was a phenomenal fighters, so they needed to measure her in a different field that she wasn't accustomed to. Taz knew that the Ambassador was doing it for the best, but Taz couldn't help but resent her sometimes. They were still a few days away from the planet the meeting was being held on when Taz's birthday came around. The Commander told everyone to leave her alone that day if they valued their lives, but not why. Several Ensigns promptly made jokes about her getting her period and her missing Up. Krayonder overheard and walked over.

"Not cool dudes," he said quieter than normal. They all looked at him in surprise. He was not one that valued tact, and often made fun of higher-ups. That coupled with the lack of volume was enough to draw their attention. They didn't know he hadn't gotten the memo about leaving Taz alone and had paid her a visit that morning.

* * *

Krayonder noticed Taz hadn't been at the early morning workout session, and fearing her wrath if she slept through breakfast too, he had headed to her room before the dining hall. He knocked lightly on the door. A few minutes later, he knocked significantly harder.

"Yo, everything ok in there?" he called out, a little worried. If Taz was passing up at a chance to yell at him and beat him up, then something was seriously wrong. The door opened to reveal a disheveled, drunken Taz. There was an empty flask on the floor and another clutched tightly in her hand. There were what looked like dried tears on her face, but that was impossible. Everyone knew that Taz never cried, not even in front of Up.

"Sí? What do jou want?" she said, her voiced slurred from alcohol and sorrow.

"You, uh, missed the morning workout and you are about to miss breakfast. Hey, uh, do you think you should be drinking so early?"

"I am veintiuno today. Happy birthday to me. It is legal for me to drink now," she said matter-of-factly.

"But that doesn't mean you should..." She cut him of with a voice, look, and demeanor filled with more ferocity then he had ever seen, and he shrunk back against the wall of the hallway.

"Silence! Jou know nothing! Jou don't know what I've been through! Only Up knows what I've been through, and den he got taken away from me too! He was taken from me just like my family was six years ago today..."

"Oh dead-God, do you mean that..." he said after a second of complete shock.

"Get out! Get the hell out of here right now!" He was a little afraid she might hurt herself while in this state, but he was more afraid she would hurt him while in this state, so he quickly backed away and ran down the hall to the dining room. He ran in just as the Commander was finishing the announcement not to mess with Taz. Krayonder, still a little shocked, walked up to the tables his friends were at.

"It's that time of the month," one joked, elbowing the ribs of the guy next to him.

"Or it's her and Up's anniversary and he couldn't send her a present. You know how chicks are about that sort of stuff." Everyone laughed except Krayonder, who thought back to the broken Taz talking about her dead family he had seen only a few inutes before.

"Not cool dudes." That was enough to shut them up, but they did send him a few quizzical looks.

* * *

That night, at his free period, Krayonder searched for the Commander. He needed to tell someone what he had seen with Taz, and it seemed like the Commander knew something about it. Luckily, the Commander hadn't had a heavy workload that day, and was able to see him.

"What is it Krayonder?" he asked, relaxing behind his desk.

"Well, you see, I noticed Taz wasn't at the morning workout and I didn't want her to be angry about missing breakfast, since she usually takes that anger out on me, so I sort of visited her since you hadn't made your announcement yet, and well, she was drunk, and talking about her dead family and Up, and..."

"And what did you need to tell me all this for?" asked the Commander, looking very uncomfortable.

"Well, it's mostly I just thought you should know her mental state, an the fact I know that it's her b-day and the day her family died. That sucks. I mean, it sucks so bad she was CAH-RYING..."

"Wait, Lieutenant Taz was crying?" the Commander asked sharply.

"Yeah. Why?"

"It's nothing. Thanks for telling me Ensign. You are dismissed." Krayonder wanted to ask more, but they clearly wouldn't be answered. He walked back to his bunk room he shared with some other Ensigns, wondering about Taz, and what she was really like when she wasn't locked in her room or beating him up.

* * *

**Well, there goes my plan for mass-robot-murder-death. That was ALL angst! Dammit. Oh well, don't wait up for the next update. It will probably be a while. And anyone who reads this, feel free to PM me to talk about AVPSY and/or Twisted, since only a couple of my non-internet friends are Starkids. See you in a month or so!**


	18. Mouse

**Soooo, it's been a few months since I've updated. Hahaha, please don't kill me. So, this chapter probably won't have mass-robot-murder-death either, but hopefully there will be some wacky anecdotes. One day, one day there will be mass-robot-murder-death, and it's gonna be totally awesome. And also, thanks to They were Smiley Smiles, Blazestar175, and 3Taz for their reviews. 3Taz, you make me laugh like nobody else, that review was... Whawasdat? Blazestar175, Twilight would have been funny for the whiny book, but as I've mentioned, I was reading Romeo and Juliet, and I don't think many people get just how annoying the characters are, especially Romeo. It was my little way to get back at him for being so awful. They were Smily Smiles, this is an update. It just didn't happen soon. Since this chapter will be funnier, I just want to say I'm not belittling Up's sadness, I just think he would keep it more private. Sorry this took so long, I lost dedication, then finals, then AVPSY, then I got a FictionPress account. I'm Guilty Bystanders, (with a space) feel free to check me out. And I'm sorry for the truely bad transition of the Gilderoy/Hermione scene. It's horribly worded, but it's the best I could get it to. An this chapter is pretty short. Yep, this is not my best work.**

**I no own you, Taz and Up. (Best grammar ever!)**

* * *

Up stood in his new ship, looking at his new crew, in his new uniform, feeling the very old sensation of exasperation. The ensigns were stupid and unruly, the Lieutenant was overly-eager-to-please, and the Commander of the sister ship was the newly promoted Commander Riggs, the very same Riggs that taught the awful, dry lessons to Taz during her first year in training. He didn't seem to mind that Up had taken his teaching job, and had cheerly greeted Up, congratulating him for finally prying himself away from Taz.

"What?" Up had asked, genuinely baffled.

"Up's a loner, you know, but now it's like you were running around telling jokes with some kid. I was like 'Don't do that.'" Up had the severe need to punch him in the jaw that he barely stifled, glad that his urges to hit Riggs would be controlled by the fact that they would mostly speak be intercom and video-phone. "Unless you were using her for something else, if you know what I mean."

"What?" Up equally surprised by this, not the fact that Riggs had heard the rumors, but the fact that he not only believed them, but was also bringing them up.

"I know it's impossible to keep secrets on a Starship, rumors always get out. And a ton of rumors got out about you two."

"Rumors are often just rumors, Riggs. What gossipy Ensigns say are often creations of an idle brain."

"The fact that several Ensigns saw you waking up together when on a deserted island? The others might just be rumors, but that one's clear as crystal."

"We were huddling for warmth," Up muttered through gritted teeth.

"So that's what the kids are calling it these days!" replied Commander Riggs cheerfully nudging Up in the ribs, unaware just how close he was to breaking.

"Look, there is nothing between me and Taz, there never was, and there never will be," Up said assuredly, not letting his sadness at the fact creep into his voice.

"That's what I like to hear!" said a painfully high voice as Marisa walked on board, posing rather ridiculously, and beaming at him. And as Marisa hit on him, and Riggs sent him knowing looks, Up had the sudden, intense urge to jump out of the starship and run away as fast as he could.

* * *

Up was surrounded by idiots. He was thankful for the years spent mastering his emotions, because if he hadn't, then the crew of his new Starship sure as hell would all be severely injured. Riggs constantly tried to pry information about Up's relationship with Taz out of him, and Marisa constantly tried to seduce him. It was like everywhere he looked she materialized, pouting her lips and fluffing up her hair. The day he felt his patience almost snap was they day he was tutoring her on zapper safety. He had been chastising her for almost shooting an ensign named Specs when she started up her flirting again.

"Oh yes! Scold me Commander! Teach me a lesson I won't ever forget!" she moaned. He looked at her in mild horror, and decided he would teach her a lesson, to leave him alone.

"Oh, intend to do just that. I'm going to teach you a thing or two... about gun safety! In your zapper's chamber, everything important has to happen during the first and second minutes, but the rest of it is extremely boring. So I've taken the liberty of tweaking your gun a bit!" he replied.

"Feel free to tweak anything you want Commander I want you to!" she told him, making obvious hand movements towards her ass, which he ignored.

"Good! Cause I've tweaked plenty! I had to rearrange everything! I changed the trigger, of course. It's arguably the main part, but in your gun it's put in step two. That's moronic! I made sure it was in it throughout, and only gets put in at the end climax!" he said. He needed to make sure he seemed completely unaware of her flirting.

"I'm sure it's better. You must be great at making things climax," she giggled.

"Well I did the best I could, but this one still stinks. You just stick the the safety lever back at the laser beams again! It's lame; but hopefully I've killed off enough side charge to make your enemies cry."

"You can make cry. My eyes already getting wet. And that's not all..."

"You're right that's not all! I'll tell you what else is dangerous about your gun! All these human fatalities! Why aren't any of these deaths robot's!? Your gun has no robot killing appeal!"

"Wait...what?"

"Do you have any idea how many people in the world are killed by robots!? Why do think we're fighting them? Cause they have us humans cornered!"

"Um. Okay. Sorry. I guess I just don't know how to kill robots. Maybe you could teach me about robot-style, Commander." He was certain she had just made that up.

"No! I can't! If you don't know how to kill robots by now you'll never learn! I've already made the changes for you. I took one of the less interesting parts, and turned it into a robot killing machine. You see, you have to give your allies out there a person they can depend on; throw them a bone, so to speak."

"I wouldn't mind a bone!"

"Quiet you! I also made a few changes to other parts. Fancy that! And that partner of yours, he's a kindred spirit; I renovated his gun too."

"Well if you've done everything already, why'd you call me in here? Didn't you want me? Don't you WANT ME?"

"I do WANT YOU... to sign this release form. Handing over all rights to carry your gun to me."

"Fine. Can we stop talking about gun renovation now? "

"Yes," he said reluctantly.

"Good. Let's get to know each other better. You already know me; I'm just an innocent young girl...who's never done anything crazy. But you're such a mystery. What are your hopes? What are your dreams? What are your deepest fantasies?"

"My fantasies? Oh, you wouldn't understand my fantasies," he told her, beginning to hatch an idea.

"Try me? Tell me Commander Up; if you could do anything, right here, right now; anything at all; who would it be?"

"If I could do anything?"

"Yeah," she said as she unbuttoned the top button of her shirt.

"If I could do anything, I think I would... shrink myself to the size of a mouse. I'd leave the world of men behind me forever, and I would start a new life... amongst the mice. And I would bring technology, and art, to those uncultured swine! Build tiny tools for their mouse hands; made from toothpicks, and marshmallows! And I would be their king. Neigh, their prince! Up the mouse prince! Ruling from my grand castle, inches high! Carved from the finest cheeses! And there I would dwell, with my three beautiful mouse wives. And my twelve mouse concubines! HAHAHA! Oh, but the wars we'd have with the frogs...Terrible... Just terrible. Those meadow-mice warriors; the atrocities they've seen. Yes that is my dream. My secret dream. Wait a minute! I'm not alone!" His plan was to weird her out so much she would no longer be attracted to him. Marisa backed away slowly. He hid his smile as she left. He broke into a wide grin and gave himself a pat on the back for finally escaping her. Another Ensign who had been in the corner spoke up.

"What the hell was that?" he asked.

"Marisa has been throwing herself at me. I had to scare her off," Up explained cheerfully, still elated by his victory.

"She does that to everyone," said the Ensign dismissively.

"No, I mean throwing herself at me. You know how she never makes any facial expressions when she doesn't have, even when flirting?" Up said. The Ensign nodded. It was true. Unless she was flirting with someone she really liked, or really felt strongly about something, her face usually stayed blank. She did that to prevent wrinkles, and to stop the boys from getting the idea she had real feelings for them. "Well, when she talked to me, she was always smiling, pouting, or laughing." The Ensign's jaw dropped. Then he gave Up a pat on the back.

"Good luck. She doesn't care much about personality or sanity in her men. She'll probably come back," he told Up, who sighed

"I know," he said sadly.


	19. Diplomat

**What's this? Two chapters in two days? Well, I did feel guilty about how long you guys had to wait. I've sort of... run out of steam for this story, so I'm gonna wrap it up soon (chapter wise. At this rate, it could take a year for me to finish writing.) Any ideas you want we to include, send them in. Also, I have randomly changed Up's age in my head. Taz is twenty one now, and so I shall make Up twenty five. I don't care if it doesn't make any sense, I just wanted to make their ages a bit closer. Also, I will put Taz in a dress at a different point, and it will be a full on dress, and Up will be there, so don't worry. Also, I couldn't make Lauren's last name Lopez, because Taz has already claimed it. Malfoy and Draco were to obvious, so Drawco, how Lucius pronounced it in AVPS, was the best alternative.**

**Taz and Up, sitting in a tree, not be-ing owned by-y me.**

* * *

Taz wrinkled her nose incredulously at her reflection, namely, the outfit it was wearing.

"Jou have got to be kidding me," she muttered. A sleek black jacket over a crisp white dress shirt, a army little hat made out of black cloth perched on the side of her head, and a charcoal grey pencil skirt with a small slit up the left leg. Taz supposed she was lucky. She still didn't like it. It restricted her movements too much, and was far to girly. The last time she had worn anything remotely as girly as this had been her Quinceañera. Taz had fought tooth and nail to wear her ceremonial Lieutenant garb, but her stylist had said that the diplomats from Venus were less progressive than most people, and would feel more comfortable if she was dressed femininely. She had tried to put Taz in a dress, until her other stylist swooped in and saved her, reminding his coworker that the Mars diplomats believed that women should wear male clothing.

"They'll love your short hair," he told her. Her stylists promptly got into a fight about how to dress her, and had decided on her current outfit. Taz was slightly smug, as she had managed to keep her combat boots on, and was now heading for the door. Unfortunately, her stylists noticed too.

"No no no, Tazzy! What are you thinking? You can't go out in those!" she squealed. Taz had to sit down. The woman had sounded so much like her mother the day that she died. "No no no, Tazia! What are you thinking? You can't go out in those!" She could still hear her mother's voice. Taz sat down hard, her face a mask. Luckily, her stylists simply took it as defeat. They unlaced her combat boots, and removed them carefully, marveling at the number of weapons Taz had been able to fit in them, replacing them with sharp-toed stiletto boots.

"Sexy and feminine..." started her first stylist.

"Yet spiky and dangerous. Very capable of both stabbing someone and hiding something in it that could be used to stab someone," finished the other. They both looked very pleased at their handy work. Taz's short bob had been curled a little the curve underneath her chin, and her hair shone like obsidian. She was wearing makeup that made her look classy, both feminine and professional. Her clothes were a nice mix of sexy and businesslike, girlish and sharp. Truthfully, she looked wonderful, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get this dumb mission over with and get back to Up. She stood up, walking quickly so her stylists wouldn't be able to stop her to adjust her makeup or anything like that. She paused at the top of the loading bay, surveying the crowd. The Martians on one side, all with short hair and comfortable, masculine clothing, the Venians all attractive, dressed in designer clothing, the men very masculine, the women extremely feminine. Taz descended the stairs, catching the gaze of all the diplomats.

"What is this clothing you've put on this girl!" shrieked a Venus diplomat.

"I agree. You can't expect the great Lieutenant Taz to confine herself with these uncomfortable pieces of cloth!" said a Martian woman. She stepped forward, extending her hand. Taz saw a bit of a tattoo of a snake peeking out of her sleeve. "Lauren Drawco, Martian diplomat." She was as short as Taz was, with platinum blond hair in a pixie cut. She was wearing a grey sweater over a dress shirt, with a green and silver tie, and a black cloak over that. She was slim and beautiful, but the Venians were staring at her in disgust. "But where is my hospitality? Come, I can show you to your room before we get started," she said. As she turned to lead the way, Taz saw another tattoo on the back of her neck, a fearsome, snarling lion wearing a wizard hat. A smiling Venian man walked up to them, clearly eyeing Taz.

"Lauren, my dear, _I_ can show Taz her rooms. You must prepare your power point for the peace talks," he said in an oily voice.

"Let me think about NO!" Lauren said angrily. She didn't trust him, especially not with the way he was eyeing Taz like that.

"As the host, it is customary for me to show new guests where their rooms are," he said in an icy voice. Taz looked stricken. So this was the Venian billionaire she wan't allowed to hit, threaten, or cause any discomfort to. "What was his name again? Grel? Something like that. Genial. Simplemente maravilloso," she thought as his eyes traveled up her body once again. "What would Up do in dis situation?" Taz thought. Unfortunately, she was pretty sure Up would punch this idiota for looking at her like that, which she wasn't allowed to do. Up would as protect her. Like her father would. She suppressed a sigh. She knew that was how Up saw it. To her, he was her knight in shining armor, who then taught her to be a knight of course, but to him, he was her father, or mentor, simply teaching her the tricks of the trade. But no, that's not all there was to it. Either way, he was still her friend, and there was nothing simple about it.

"If it's so customary, why didn't you show me my room yourself?" Lauren argued back.

"Are you accusing me of being a bad host?" he questioned her with a dangerous tone in his voice. "Dey do take offense easily" thought Taz. He sounded as grave as if she had accused him of genocide. He glared at Lauren before pushing her aside, turning to face Taz, grinning stupidly. "Now to give you the tour of the house!" he began excitedly. She grit her teeth through her cheesy, charming smile.

"Actually, could jou please show me to my room now? I am very tired from all de... traveling," she said in a sugary sweet voice.

"Why of course! A delicate bloom like you needs to rest, I understand." Taz could swear she felt bile rising from her throat at his response.

"Yes. Sí. Gracias," she said. She wasn't actually tired, but she didn't want to take a house tour with this man. She had the feeling that if she had to spend to much time with him, she would get very tired very quickly. There's nothing like playing nice to someone who doesn't deserve it to sap your energy out. He grabbed her hand, causing Taz to clench her jaw, her eye's widening. She dug her fingernails into the palm of her free hand. His jaw was calling out to her, begging to be shattered. She tuned out everything he was saying after two minutes. It only took her that long to figure out everything that he said, and everything he would say, was just him praising her beauty, which he actually wasn't very good at. He would sometimes say things like "you look almost as beautiful as my last wife," or "you would be irresistible if you had better hair... and dressed better." Even though Taz didn't care about that kind of stuff, it still made his face look all the more inviting to her fist. Around halfway to their destination, a servant girl approached them, her eyes downcast.

"Sir? That's not the way to the room the Lieutenant has been assigned to..." she began. He waved his hand to cut her off.

"The room Taz has been assigned to is fair to bleak for her gentle grace, mellow charm and delicate beauty! No, I have picked a much better room for her!" he proclaimed. Taz went from being annoyed that he used her first name to being nervous that this new room was his own in a matter of seconds. His jaw was practically begging to be smashed, and his nose was joining in. When they finally arrived at the room, she was relieved that it wasn't his. It was, however, covered in lace and frill, and was entirely pink and purple. "A room suitable for you," he said in a simpering voice as he kissed her hand for far too long. "My own bedchambers is just down the hall, if you ever need me for anything..." he said with raised eyebrows, looking as though he was letting her decide the meaning, though it was perfectly clear to her. It meant that she needed to lock all her doors and windows, and maybe start sleeping during the day.

"Gracias. I must sleep now. Good bye," she said, using all her will power not to slam the door in his face. She sunk down on the bed. It might have been a hideous lump of frills, lace, purple and pink, but it was soft and comfortable, and without really meaning to, she fell asleep.

* * *

Grel sighed pleasurably as he walked down the hall. Such a strange, enchanting creature. Too masculine for his tastes, but with real potential to become gorgeous. And a total sucker for his charms. He had her wrapped snuggly around his little finger. Then again, what woman wasn't? He was certain that he could convince her to embrace her femininity with very little trouble. In fact, if she knew it would increase his favor, she would be stumbling over herself to do so. He called over a servant.

"Get me all the information you can on Lieutenant Taz. But only tell me the interesting stuff. I'm sure I'll find out all the boring stuff when I'm talking with her at dinner. You know how women are," he said with a laugh. The servant, being a woman, looked highly offended.

"Yes sir. Of course sir," she said, resolving to make her report as boring as possible. Which would be hard. She had already heard the stories about Taz, and she was frankly the most fascinating person that the servant had ever personally met. She really hoped Taz would punch him. Her deserved it, and she was clearly a no-nonsense type of gal. That was another thing. She was not Garl's type. He liked his women either stupid and sexy or a classy kind of beautiful. Either way, decidedly feminine. And yet, of everyone, the Venians, the Martians, the Starship Rangers, and even the servants, he chose to dote on the girl more boyish than some of the Martian females, a society that prides itself on it's masculine nature and warlike nature. The Rangers were going to have their work cut out for them. One society prided itself on war, the other on looks, and both impressively proud and stubborn. They were pretty close to opposites. And the Rangers were going to have to make an alliance between them, which was only made harder by the fact that Grel was going to spend the entire time throwing himself at Taz. She dearly hoped, for everyone's sake, that Taz had a boy or girlfriend she could use as an excuse to fend off his advances. Luckily for the servant, there were more rumors about Taz and Up than ever.

* * *

**So people, review. I don't have that many more ideas, so feel free to tell me what Up should be doing. Please review even if you don't have an idea.**


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